Dangers Of The Next Generation
by MarcelinaRose
Summary: A few years have passed and life has gone back to normal with the Tree Friends and their families. Little did they know about a mysterious organization that is about to put their plan into action. Their objective: Finding the answers that will end the curse once and for all, eliminating whoever or whatever gets in their way. Rated M in case I write smut. Takes place in my AU.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 **Welcome to the third to final story of my Happy Tree Friends AU(in the timeline that is). This little multi-chapter fic is about the various love children of the Happy Tree Friends and some bullshit that's going on. I've been working on this fic for a while and I thought it was time for it to be posted. Now some of you might complain that I have too many kids running around, but please be grateful that I didn't give every one of my favorite pairings a kid. Anyway I'm just gonna hurry up and start this.**

 **I own nothing of Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media.**

Russell nuzzled into the taller figure next to him, pulling the covers over his head to block the sunlight as he tried to go back to sleep. However, a slight nudge to his rib caused him to open his eyes and stare into ocean blue eyes that held a playful look. Russell pouted at his husband, who chuckled in response before pecking his cheek. "You know we have to be prepared for this."

A second later, the door to their room burst open and a small rustle of footsteps headed towards the bed before the couple felt a third weight on top of them. "Mama, Daddy, time to wake up!" Russell rose himself from the covers to see their daughter grinning at them from the opposite side of the bed. "Yes yes I know." The bluenette couldn't help but smile at the child as he swung his legs off of the edge and pulled the toddler into his lap. Winking at Lumpy, he made his way out of the room and towards the kitchen with Umi in his arms spouting something about Show and Tell at preschool and how she has something amazing to show the class.

Lumpy sat up and stretched before running a hand through messy bed hair. He yawned as he slowly got himself out of bed and proceeded to head to the bathroom. _It's been three years, and everything has been peaceful for the most part,_ He thought to himself. _We made sure that Umi didn't see any deaths or die herself, so that was good on our part._ He frowned as he was reminded of the celebration party, when Flippy had murdered all of his friends and used Russell as bait to murder him. _I can't help but have a bad feeling. We're going to have to tell her eventually about the curse. The kids have a right to know, but we won't say anything until they grow up._

A half hour later, Lumpy made his way into the kitchen to see the toddler happily eating a plate of pancakes and bacon and Russell making sure she didn't make a mess. He smiled in response as patted her head gently and headed into another room and sat on the couch. He tilted his head back somewhat with a sigh and closed his eyes. He felt a pair of arms wrap around him and opened one eye to see his husband looking down at him. "Everything okay?"

"I'm fine," Lumpy replied, raising an arm up to cup one of his cheeks. Russell leaned into the touch lovingly with a gentle smile. "Just thinking about what's happened in the past few years." Russell was immediately reminded of the night that started everything, hiding his gaze from the other.

 _"Stop! Please!"_

Russell took a step back and pulled away at the memory, thinking back to the constant crying and pleading from the pain, and held himself in response. He whimpered slightly, and Lumpy looked back towards him. He sighed and stood from his seat, proceeding to head back into the kitchen. "I'll take Umi today. Take a minute to calm down." He knew how Russell acted whenever that memory returned, and knew it was right to give the bluenette some space until he recovered.

The older male took another step forward until he felt a hand grab his shirt, and turned around to see the other holding onto him with a lowered head before he pulled himself closer. "I'm sorry," He muttered. "But, whenever I think about it, I keep thinking there might be a chance you would do that again." Lumpy lifted his head, but didn't respond with a touch. Just being reminded of that time made him sick to his stomach, and he was upset with himself for attacking the poor guy. He even questioned why they were still together, and why Russell never thought of an abortion when he found out he was pregnant because he never thought of someone being okay with having their rapist's baby.

"Why are we even together?" He asked, having the bluenette lift his head in return. "I don't get how you could forgive me so easily."

"I haven't forgiven you," Russell pulled away with a lowered gaze. "I wouldn't be scared shitless if I did. Just thinking about it irritates me. I could have moved out, had an abortion, and wanted nothing to do with you. I've thought about it too. The only reason why I'm still here is because I love you. The only reason why I married you in the first place is because I love you. If I left, you would be sad, and I would be lonely. Sure I haven't forgiven you, and I probably won't, but I can't really do anything about it. Unless of course I borrow Sniffles's time machine and stop you. But if I did that, we wouldn't have her," He peered in the other room to see their daughter gazing at the TV on the wall. "I'm happy that she's here, and I'm happy to have you. My feelings won't change."

Lumpy felt the urge to kiss him as soon as he said that, but instead held his hands and pulled them close. "I'm not proud of what I did, and I didn't want to be around you because I know you hated me. When you told me that you were pregnant, I thought I had a chance to make it up to you. Then the attack on New Years happened and I practically ditched you through the rest of your pregnancy. I thought I wasn't good enough for you since I couldn't even protect you from Fliqpy. Hell I was goofing off when Umi was born," He glanced at the younger with a worried look. "I didn't want our first time to be rape; I wanted to take my time and be gentle, but instead I was drunk and rushing to get you on a bed. An apology won't help anything, and I don't care if you haven't forgiven me. I just want you to stay with me."

He saw tears and before he knew it, Russell had his head lowered and cries releasing from him. He pulled away with wide eyes. "Oh shit. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry." Russell shook his head and lifted his chin with a smile. "I-I'm not sad. I-I'm just really happy to hear you say that. Thank you." The two of them pulled each other into a tight embrace as the pirate's muffled cries echoed throughout the room. After a moment, Russell composed himself before heading back into the kitchen, giving Lumpy a final look before disappearing out of sights. Lumpy sighed with a smile before hearing Umi shout a good bye on her way out of the door. He ran a hand through his hair and sat back down. "I can't believe we finally talked about that." He muttered to himself. While he gave the pirate his space whenever this happened, they never had a full conversation on the matter, and they had both wanted to avoid it. But after talking, Lumpy felt a huge weight being lifted off of his shoulders, and he felt he could talk to Russell about anything.

He smiled to himself and reached forward to grab the TV remote, wanting to pass the time with whatever was on until the bluenette returned.

* * *

"Hey Papa, you think the other kids will show something cool?" Lifty glanced back at the tiny twins' curious expressions before turning back to the stove. "Well, it's called Show and Tell for a reason. You're supposed to show something cool or no one will like it. What will you two do?"

The older of the twins smirked and put on a proud look. "Me and Jack are gonna play our favorite game. It's called the _Which One Is Zack_ game. The thief smiled at his son's response and turned back to the duo. "I hope you two will wow the crowd."

"We will, Papa." Jack gave his father a grin before feeling a hand on his head, looking up with bright eyes. "Hi Daddy." Shifty grinned at the younger child and ruffled his hair. "Hey bud. Have you and your brother been giving Papa trouble?"

"We've been good, Daddy." Zack pouted at his other father and crossed his arms. The older thief chuckled and ruffled the child's hair with his free hand. "I'm only kidding, Jack."

"But I'm Zack." Shifty had a habit of purposely mistaking the twins' identities and he loved their reactions. Lifty also joined this act on certain occasions, but both parents knew the only way to tell the twins apart was the checker-pattern choker that each twin wore: Zack's choker was black and red while Jack's was black and beige. But even without the chokers, there was another way to tell the two apart based on their personalities: Zack was the outgoing and mischievous twin, always wanting to try something new, even if he got into trouble, while Jack was the shy and reserved twin, always staying close to his parents or brother, but occasionally joined his brother with his mischief. Luckily for the thieves, the twins didn't inherit their kleptomania, the opposite of what they had initially thought. But to make sure that never happens, they had asked Sniffles to help them with their kleptomania. It seemed to be working, but Lifty and Shifty wanted made sure they keep it that way.

Lifty couldn't help but giggle before feeling a pair of arms wrap around his waist and lips pressed against the nape of his neck. For a moment, he felt a smirk against his skin and a hand slide up his torso. "Hey, not in front of the twins." Lifty whispered.

"Then take them to school so we can have some fun." His twin responded back in a whisper, gently dipping a finger into his brother's bellybutton. Lifty tensed with a blush as Zack's voice rang out in the room. "Papa and Daddy are acting lovey dovey again."

The thieves turned back to the children's confused glances as they returned to their meals. Shifty shrugged and sat across from them, leaning back in his chair and smirking at his brother. Lifty sighed before smiling at the three with a hand on his hip. "Alright you two. Eat your breakfast so you're not late."

* * *

"I can't wait to show everybody my talents!" A greenette toddler shouted before shoving a forkful of pancake into her mouth. Nutty brought a napkin to her face and began to clean the mess she made. "Candy, you're covered in syrup."

"Sorry Mommy," The two heard a laugh from a second toddler, who quickly tried to hide it. The greenette toddler turned to her brother with a pout. "Danny, Sammy's laughing at me!"

"It's just a laugh," The toddler known as Danny replied with crossed arms. "No need to get so worked up." Candy glared across the table before shoving another pancake into her mouth. Nutty smiled at the three before hearing someone walking down the stairs. He turned around to see Sniffles pushing up his glasses and joining the four of them at the table. "Hi Daddy." Sammy piped up from her seat with a smile, receiving a light kiss on the forehead from her father.

Nutty's pregnancy came as a surprise to everybody because of their thoughts on Sniffles. None of them ever thought that the scientist would make a move, even if they were dating, and when they found out that the younger male was pregnant with triplets, that was when their views on Sniffles began to change. They began to believe that he was a man of many secrets, and realized that they didn't know much about him. Sniffles was also surprised by the pregnancy because he knew for a fact that Nutty wasn't able to have children, but theorized that the cause resulted from the greenette turning into a girl. The pregnancy wasn't what made Sniffles so nervous; it was the possibility of Nutty hurting himself because of his love for sweets, so he did whatever he could to help the other overcome his addiction.

Each of the triplets was similar to at least one parent with a particular trait. Danny, who was the oldest, had blue hair with a green streak running down the side and blue eyes like his father. He was more reserved than his younger sisters and learned what to do and not to do, but at the same time, knew when it was time to relax. Sammy, who was the middle child, had a combination of blue and green streaks with green eyes. She was quiet like her brother, but outgoing like her younger sister. To both of her siblings and the other townspeople, she was a good combination of both parents' personalities. Candy, who was the youngest out of the three, had green hair and heterochromatic eyes. She was the hyperactive and cheerful child and acted a lot like her mother, but like her father, she knew when to give respect and when times are serious.

Sniffles placed his head in his hand as he watched his family chat about whatever came to mind before he checked the time on his phone. "Shit." He muttered before standing up from the table. Nutty's gaze followed as he spoke up. "Where are you going?"

"Ari wants to meet me at the diner." Nutty couldn't help but frown. He absolutely hated the tiny raven, the reason mostly being because she had killed him a countless number of times whenever he teased her. Other times, she would try to flirt and work him up, which greatly irritated the candy-lover to no end. The thought made the greenette grow a disgusted look on his face. Sniffles cupped his cheek and pecked him on the lips. "Whatever she wants, I won't listen. I belong to you and not her." Nutty smiled and leaned into the touch with closed eyes and sighed. "Alright. I trust you."

With another peck on the lips, Sniffles waved goodbye to his family before heading out, the triplets' shouts following him out the door.

* * *

"Daddy? Daddy?" Flippy groaned when he felt a small hand tug on his shirt, and turned around to see a bundle of red hair and emerald eyes peering down at him. From his gaze, the child lowered her head shyly. "What is it, Ruby?"

"I-I need to go potty." The greenette sighed and lifted himself from the bed, giving a light kiss to the smaller male beside him, before grabbing the toddler's hand and leading her to the bathroom. Once reading the door, she peeked into the bathroom before turning back to the veteran. "Y-You'll stay out here, right?"

"I'll be here." Flippy replied before the door closed behind her. He leaned against the wall with a sigh. Ever since she was potty trained, the tiny red-head wanted her father or mother to escort her to the bathroom in case anything happened. This wasn't a surprised to Flippy: Ruby took her mother's hair color, looks, and paranoia, hell even inheriting her mother's fear of chickens. Ruby was a very shy child and usually spoke in a soft tone in fear of upsetting someone, but there was something about her that both parents were unsure of. One late afternoon, Flaky saw the child on the floor with a drawing of an animal being ripped to shreds in front of her, and another time, she had ripped hair off of one of her dolls. Flippy slightly feared that she might have taken this from his evil side, Fliqpy, but that might not be the case.

A few months after the incident at Russell and Lumpy's apartment, Sniffles found a way to separate the two, and in no time at all, Fliqpy began to enjoy his freedom. Of course, the other Tree Friends were slightly scared of Flippy, but their fear lessened when they had heard about his PTSD. Still, that didn't stop them from fearing Fliqpy.

Flippy lifted his head to see the bathroom door open, and his daughter peeking out into the hall. "Is Mommy awake yet?"

"Not yet," The greenette replied while taking her hand and leading her down the hall into the kitchen. "I'll wake him up while you're eating."

"Okay." After preparing a small meal, Flippy headed back upstairs to their bedroom to see if the red-head was awake. Not surprisingly, Flaky had his back towards the door as he slept, shifting himself slightly to get into a much more comfortable position. Flippy was about to smile under he heard a slight whimper. He looked closer to see the red-head grip the pillow underneath him, tears threatening to roll down his cheeks. Flippy climbed onto the bed quietly and stroking the male's face cautiously. Not even a second later did a hand connect with his left cheek and Flaky jerking upwards with wide eyes. Flippy held his face while the red-head backed up towards the headboard. It took him a few seconds to realize the situation before noticing the greenette. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" He cried as Flippy was nursing the bruise on his cheek. "I-I didn't realize it was you!"

Flippy knew he didn't need to apologize; Flaky has always had nightmares of Fliqpy, and sometimes these nightmares had caused the red-head to avoid Flippy because of their resemblance to one another along with past experiences. Flippy gave the younger male his space whenever he was troubled by a nightmare, and it took him a while to be near Flippy every time.

The veteran held out a hand towards Flaky with a calm gaze. "Come here. I'm not him." After a moment of hesitation, the red-head slowly crawled towards the greenette and allowed himself to be cradled by loving arms. Flippy kissed the top of his head and whispered soothing words in his ear. After a few minutes, the red-head seemed to have calmed down and his tears had stopped. "Feel better?"

"Yeah." Flaky nuzzled his head into the taller male with a small sigh before pulling away and heading towards the door. The greenette followed him to the first floor to see Ruby jumping down from her chair to hug her mother. He smiled at the sight as he thought back to the previous few years.

Three months after Flaky was transformed into a boy, no one was surprised that he was revealed to be pregnant, and Sniffles concluded that the only reason why he could was because either he was one of the more rare males who could get pregnant, or because he used to be a girl. Since the chemical he invented wasn't complete, Flaky still had the organs that made it possible for him to have a baby. Flippy was somewhat worried about the child adapting some of Fliqpy's tendencies, considering that they were still one being at the time. In their favor, their daughter had grown to be like Flaky in almost every aspect, but that didn't mean the couple couldn't be concerned about the possibility of her having some sort of homicidal thoughts.

Ruby held onto her mother for a few more seconds before looking up. "Mommy, did you have another bad dream?"

Flaky nodded and the tiny red-head lowered her gaze. "Was it about Uncle Fliqpy?" Flippy frowned as the red-head pulled Ruby into his arms with another nod. Ruby didn't say another word and quietly rested her head on his shoulder. It wasn't a surprise that she knew about her mother's nightmares, and she knew they were about her uncle. The nightmares were only a small portion of why Ruby was never allowed to meet him. Flippy nor Flaky cared if he didn't kill children; they didn't want their daughter exposed to his malicious tendencies.

Flaky set the child back in her seat before going back upstairs to get dressed while Flippy stayed in the dining room. "Hey Daddy?"

"Hm?" The greenette turned to the girl's curious glance as she took a sip of her juice. "When will I meet Uncle Fliqpy?" Flippy froze and clenched his fists, having Ruby shroud away and lowered her head. "I-I just wanted to know, t-that's it." Flippy only sighed and placed an elbow on the table. "I'll let you meet him when I'm sure you're safe around him."

"Did Uncle Fliqpy do bad things?" The veteran pinched the bridge of his nose and lowered his head. "I'd rather not talk about it." Ruby only glanced at him before continuing to eat her food. She slide out of her chair and proceeded to hug the greenette. Flippy didn't hesitate to pet her gently and kiss the top of her head.

A few moments later, he pulled the girl out of his lap and placed her on the ground, ruffling her hair as Flaky emerged from the stairs. "We better get going," He said, pulling the child towards the door. "I know Ruby has something amazing to present." Ruby nodded in response, waving a good-bye to Flippy as she followed her mother through the front door.

* * *

Petunia stepped away from the stove and placed a few pancakes on a nearby plate and sighed, glancing back at the staircase with a concerned look. "They're still not awake." She sighed before heading to the second floor, opening the first door on the left to see her red-head lover and son. She stepped towards the bed, placing a hand on Handy's shoulder and shaking him gently. "Handy~" A sleep-filled moan was the only response, and the bluenette placed a hand on her hip. "Alright then. That means I get to have breakfast all to myself."

"That's not fair, Mama." Petunia heard the toddler reply with a yawn as he rubbed an eye. He turned to his father beside him and shook him. "Wake up, Papa, or we won't eat." Handy opened one eye to look at the two and sighed. "Alright. I'm up." He sat up with a stretch before pulling the three year-old in his lap. "Come on, Lilac. Better go before Mama gets upset."

"Okay!" Petunia watched the two exit the room and head downstairs, looking back at the crumpled sheets on the bed. She grimaced at the sight before letting out a breath before beginning to straighten them. Ever since she began to live with Handy, her OCD has gradually begin to decrease, but there were times where it would escalate to a point where she would nearly kill herself like the last time she had gotten herself dirty. Luckily, there were hardly any incidents after that day, but the couple never took any chances, especially during the time when Petunia was pregnant with their son.

Handy, like any sane parent in their town, had started to become more protective after the tiny violette was born, making sure that he nor his girlfriend were in any danger. But he could never promise their safety. A few weeks after Lilac was born, he and Petunia were involved in a car wreck(caused by a certain pair of reckless twins), and Handy had barely gotten them away before the car exploded. They had escaped with a few light burns, but the red-head knew that it would have been a lot worse.

Petunia headed into the kitchen to notice Handy and Lilac at the table, eating a good majority of the food she had made. Giving the two a glance, she began to brew herself a cup of coffee as she listened to the child's stories about preschool as he ate with Handy smiling in response. The bluenette giggled as she sat back at the table and joined the conversation, wanting to savor the morning before the three had to go their separate ways.

* * *

Once 7:00 had come upon them, various parents arrived at the preschool with their children: The twins waved hello to the triplets while Umi ran over to the timid Ruby, who was holding onto her mother's leg, and Lilac followed shortly after. A small group at a time, children began to walk inside to show others either talents or objects, waving goodbye to their parents so they could start the day.

"Hey Russell?" Russell turned around to see Nutty approach him as he waved goodbye to the triplets. The greenette gave him a warm smile. "How's everything going?"

"Everything's. . . fine." He replied with a smile. He didn't want to talk about his earlier conversation because he knows that Nutty will tell Sniffles. But he knew that Nutty wasn't able to tell if something was wrong so he didn't doubt that the candy-lover would let it go.

"I'm surprised your nose didn't grow with that lie." Russell looked back at the smiling Nutty before the smile disappeared. Russell lowered his head in response and averted his gaze. "Did you have a fight with Lumpy?"

"It wasn't that," He responded softly. "We just had a talk about what happened back then." Nutty didn't need to be told what he was talking about, considering he got the information from his boyfriend, but he was surprised that they were just now talking about it. He crossed his arms and let out a light sigh. "Did it go well?"

"Surprisingly, yes," The pirate replied with a smile. "I'll tell you and Sniffles about it later. Speaking of which, how are you two?" Nutty began to speak with a smile and then frowned. "I wish I could say it's good, but it's not."

"Is it Ari?"

"Who else would it be?" Nutty grabbed a handful of hair with gritted teeth. "It's like she purposely messes with Sniffles to piss me off. And if I try to do something, she stabs me! I thought she hated him." Nutty was brought back to the time before he was pregnant with the triplets: Ari had come over to "help" Sniffles with one of his inventions, but the bluenette ended up with an injured hand and a pissed off raven.

Russell honestly felt bad for the two, and placed a hand on the greenette's shoulder. "I'll call you later, alright?" Nutty nodded in response before waving goodbye and beginning to head home. Russell smiled and headed back to the car.

A few blocks away, a hooded figure smirked to himself and glanced down at a watch. "This will be a fun day for the damned." He muttered as he sneered at the town below, glancing backwards to look at the men behind him. He pulled a lighter out of his pocket and flicked it a few times and raised it to light a cigarette. After a moment, he took it out of his mouth to breath a puff of smoke into the air. "Everything set?"

"Just awaiting your orders, sir." A voice spoke from the group. The leader turned around to see a man with short black hair and amber eyes step forward with a smile on his face. He looked back at the town with another puff of smoke, the smirk on his face growing into a grin. "Then proceed with phase one."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **I own nothing of Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media.**

The class clapped and cheered as the twins bowed and returned to their seats. They high-fived each other and began to chat with other children near them. "Ruby, it's your turn." A little girl piped up and pointed at the red-head. Ruby lowered her head shyly and looked away. "B-But-"

"I'll go after you if it'll make you feel better." Ruby saw the bluenette's smile and soon felt trust in her friend. She rose from her seat, clutching the stuffed animal she had in her hand and stepped towards the front of the class. She took in a deep breath and held out the stuffed animal, which was a green bear dressed in a camouflage jacket and beret. "I-I haven't got a name for him yet, but for now I'll call him Camo. He's been with me since I was born, and he helps keeps the monsters away," She averted her gaze and pulled the bear towards her. "It sounds stupid, doesn't it?"

"Of course not," The teacher petted her head gently before sending her back to her seat. "I believe that was a nice thing to share. Umi, you said you would share after her."

"I know," Umi stood from her seat with a small necklace and proceeded to head towards the front of the class until the lights disappeared and the sunlight was blocked from the windows.

* * *

Russell glanced down at the framed photograph with a smile and placed it in his lap cautiously. He began to think back to the old days when he was exploring the seas to search for whatever came his way if he was able to not be killed by the curse. He remembered how happy he was to travel the ocean with his crew mates, and closed his eye at the memory. Russell felt a nuzzle on his left cheek and turned to see Lumpy lean a head on his shoulder with a smile. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"Oh, just thinking back to my pirate days," Russell replied while setting the frame on the seat on his right and sighed. "Back when all I did was say yar and swing a sword around," He leaned back and felt the taller blunette kiss his cheek and move around to sit next to him. "This was before we started living together, and I think that's when I started to like you."

"When I was a pirate, or when we started living together?" Lumpy wrapped an arm around him to pull him close, allowing Russell to tilt his head on the other's shoulder. "I think it was when you were a pirate. You looked hot when you fought."

"Really? Maybe I should fight more often." There was a playful purr in Russell's voice, and Lumpy looked down to see a lustful glint in a single eye. He tilted the smaller face upwards, and leaned in for a light kiss. Russell leaned forward as well to bring their lips together. Lumpy brought up his other hand to cup the bluenette's right cheek, causing him to flinch and break the kiss. "Not my right," He muttered with a lowered head. "You know I can't see." Lumpy pulled away with an apologetic look and kissed his left cheek. Russell had felt more vulnerable than the rest of the Friends because of his limited sight, and his other senses had been sharpened. Despite this, he is still frightened with whoever he senses on his right.

Lumpy pulled the smaller male into a tight hug and held him close as they sat quietly, the voices on the TV being the only sounds in the room. The couple heard reports of another terrorist attack, but didn't bother caring until glancing at the screen. In an instant, Russell pushed Lumpy off of him and sat up with wide eyes. "No way," He brought both hands to his mouth once he saw the preschool being circled by military soldiers. "Umi."

He heard his husband begin to make his way towards the front door, and was about to throw it open until Russell grabbed him. "I'm coming with you." Lumpy was about to protest in response before Russell pulled him forward. "Do you think I can stay here like this?" Lumpy's eyes widened slightly when he saw a gray hue hidden in crimson, and feared it might only get worse if the former pirate stayed. But, if the worst were to happen, Russell's illness might go to a point where he couldn't control himself. He sighed and pulled away, running a hand through his hair with a groan. "Alright, but don't blame me if your hysteria gets out of control." Lumpy pulled his husband out the door, and saw various police cars and reporters heading to the same destination.

* * *

When they arrived, various other parents were already there, and immediately, Russell spotted a familiar red-head. "Flaky!" He rushed up to the male, but stopped once he saw faint tears in crimson eyes and hands over his chest as he tried to calm his breathing. The bluenette took a few steps back in order to not scare Flaky even more. A few ways away, he saw Flippy talking with a commanding officer, but from the looks of it, Flippy was upset. To his left, he saw the twins trying to calm each other down, Handy having arms wrapped around a panicked Petunia, and Nutty was pacing around with a phone to his ear, most likely trying to get into contact with Sniffles.

Russell leaned back slightly and allowed his husband to catch him gently, placing his head in one of his hands. He closed his good eye and tilted his head back, having Lumpy kiss his forehead and hold his hands close. "She'll be fine," He muttered. "If anyone can survive this, she can."

"I hope you're right." The taller male lead him to a nearby seat and pulled him in his arms, nuzzling his hair and giving him comforting kisses to calm him down. Russell pulled his hood over him to hide his face and curled up into his husband's figure, hoping he could clear his mind of the current situation.

* * *

Flippy couldn't help but glare at his former commander, who had crossed arms and as glancing down at a map. "With all due respect, sir, I don't think this is going to work," He placed a hand over his eyes and looked down. "That's what they want us to do."

"If we don't act now, who knows what they'll do," The commander had responded to him in a stern tone. "This is the only choice we have." Flippy couldn't hold in the growl that resided in his throat, but he kept his cool with the knowledge of what his unit can do if he had a sharp mouth. He let out a sigh and uncovered his eyes, trailing his hand down so he can cross his arms. "Sir, my kid is in there, and if this plan fails, her blood is on your hands."

The commander glanced down at the files that contained information on the children, lifting an eyebrow on one photo in particular, turning to the frightened red-head not far from them. "Perhaps he should sit down. This situation is probably too much for him." Flippy looked back at his boyfriend, taking no time in running over and beginning to soothe him. A moment later, he lead the red-head back towards the tent, setting him on a box away from his commander. "Hey, it's gonna be okay," He whispered and pulled the smaller male into his arms. "She's gonna be fine." Flaky slowly returned the hug and hid his face in the greenette's shoulder.

The commander watched them closely from the other side of the tent. "You've grown soft. What happened to the soldier that killed the Tiger Commander?" Fippy grimaced at the memory, and pushed himself away somewhat and stood up. "You're clearly not talking about me. I'm the one who got his entire team killed and hid inside of a corpse to stay alive. You should really be thanking Fliqpy. I do regret being involved in the war, but I have to thank you. If it wasn't for you drafting me, I would have never found another way to protect my family."

"Flippy." Flippy proceeded to smile at the red-head before his face froze at the sound of a gunshot.

* * *

Nutty continued to pace around as he heard his phone ring, hoping that Sniffles would pick up. One of his hands was covered in countless bite marks and was slightly bleeding, and his pockets were filled with empty candy wrappers. Tears covered his eyes and his mind was filled with the triplets. He heard a slight pause, and stopped pacing. _"Nutty, where are you?"_

"Where do you think I am?"

 _"I'm on my way. Don't move."_ Sniffles hung up immediately, and Nutty placed his phone back into right pocket. He sat on a nearby bench near the twins and folded his hands together. It didn't take long for Sniffles to arrive and hold the greenette in his arms. He pulled back and noticed the blood and bitemarks on his hand, and he held it gently. "I hate it when you do this," He muttered, grabbing a roll of bandages from his pocket. "Where's your candy?"

"I-I ate it all." Sniffles looked back up to see tears rolling down his cheeks, and wiped them away. "Hey they're gonna be okay," He soothed. "I'm sure Danny's doing everything he can to protect his sisters." He kissed Nutty's cheek with a calm smile before a gunshot rang in the air, followed by three more. All eyes were on the preschool in an instant. "What the hell was that!?" Shifty exclaimed with wide eyes. Lifty had his ears covered and was curled up in a ball next to him and was on the edge of sobbing.

Shouts were heard and everyone looked closer to see a small crowd of figures heading towards them. A tiny hint of green in the crowd caused Lifty to stand abruptly and run for it. His brother called out to him, but he didn't hear nor turn around. He pushed his way through various parents and reporters to see his children along with a few others running from a nearby vent in the preschool. The children ran to their guardians with tears and frightened shouts, but the twins were huddled together as they glanced around to see if they could catch a glimpse of either of their fathers.

Lifty didn't hesitate to run up to the two and pull them into a tight hug. "Wha!?"

"Papa!" Jack returned the hug once he realized who had grabbed him and nuzzled him with tears. Zack lowered his head and hid in his father's arms, afraid that he was going to be taken.

"Lifty!" The younger thief glanced behind him to see his brother dash towards him with a worried face, and he turned back to the twins in his arms. "Daddy's here too." He muttered to them. The toddlers looked behind him and immediately ran towards their other father with outstretched arms. Shifty held the two of them close as they cried in his arms. He looked down at them with a serious expression. "How did you get out?"

"W-Well," Jack pulled away and wiped his tears. "T-The bad guys left us in the room after they hurt the teacher, and then U-Umi found a tunnel that went outside. S-She let us go first, but when I went in, the bad guys came back and tried to grab me."

"Who's still in there?"

"U-Um. . ." Jack lowered his gaze and trailed off before hiding in the thief's arms. Zack spoke up after him. "Umi, Ruby, Lilac, and the triplets. I think they're the only ones."

"Alright," Shifty pulled them into another hug and hung his head. "I'm just glad you two are safe."

Russell saw soldiers storm through the building in search of the terrorists, and he clutched Lumpy's hand as tight as he could. Lumpy wrapped arms around him in response and kissed the nape of his neck to comfort him. After a few gunshots, a soldier exited the school and spoke to his commander, who slammed a fist on the table. Flippy's eyes widened in response while Flaky was on the brink of tears. On his left, he saw that the twins had received their children, and the other parents were distraught with what they had heard.

Lumpy pulled the bluenette closer and tried to get his mind off of what he was currently thinking. Unfortunately, it couldn't stop his husband from hugging him with tears.

It didn't take the rest of town to figure out what had happened. Everyone was in complete chaos while the affected parents were in the worst shape, and did not want to believe what was happening: Flaky was having constant panic attacks and was sobbing uncontrollably in Flippy's arms, Nutty had bitten into his hands so much, he had torn through the bandages and eaten off some of the skin, Petunia was having various hallucinations about her son's whereabouts, and as Lumpy suspected, Russell's hysteria had kicked in, which caused him to scream and laugh maniacally. It took Lumpy a while to calm him down, and it took him longer to get the bluenette to come back to his senses.

Everyone knew that a conference was going to be held later that day with the decision on what to do, and until then, they could only pray and hope for the best.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 **I own nothing of Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media.**

Later that day, the Tree Friends were called in for a conference concerning what their plan of action was. Sitting in a dome-shaped room, the group waited for their leaders nervously, and glanced around for a sign of them. A few of them noticed the distraught parents, and couldn't help but feel sympathy: Giggles kept her distance as Handy held a crying Petunia, who was on the verge of screaming for the second time that day, Sniffles was making sure that the twitching Nutty didn't bite his hands again because he didn't have candy, Flaky was holding onto a stuffed red porcupine that belonged to Ruby while Flippy had an arm wrapped around him. Fliqpy leaned back with his feet on the table and crossed arms. From one side of the room, Russell was facedown on the table with arms stretched out in front of him while Lumpy had his elbows on the table with folded hands. He looked over at the former pirate and cautiously stroked his hair. Russell gazed at him with a grayish-red color in his eye and then turned away.

Double doors opened and the group looked up to see a man with dirty blonde hair and dressed in black enter the room, followed by two other men with dark hair while the third also had dirty blonde hair. They sat down at a table that was set in front of the group and glanced around. "I take it you heard what had happened." The dark blonde stated with folded arms.

"Some of us were there, Evershed," Lumpy replied in a monotone voice. "And unlike you, some of us actually want to know what's become of our kids." Evershed took one gaze at the former pirate before speaking again. "Anyway, I have called you all here to discuss the matter of the terrorists."

"Can I ask something?" Splendont spoke up with a hand in the air and a blank look. "Where the hell did these terrorists even come from?"

"And why are they here?" Toothy asked with a risen eyebrow. "That's all I care about."

"Screw their motives," Handy spoke up from his seat. "I just wanna know why they took the kids."

"Is it wrong to want to know both?" Lammy asked. "Maybe their motives are the reason why they took the kids."

"If everyone would settle down, then I'll be able to tell you," Evershed interrupted the group, having everyone turn in his direction and quiet down. He let out a breath and leaned back. "Now, this organization originated in a nearby town. As you may know, the curse has been spreading uncontrollably, and unfortunately, that town is now a victim."

"So the Curse is the cause of this?" Cuddles asked from beside Toothy, holding onto the violette's hand for possible comfort. Evershed shook his head in response. "This organization has apparently heard word of the Curse, and had somehow found out that this is where it originated."

"So they're thinking that if they can find out what caused the Curse, then they can get rid of it?" Truffles asked, sitting up from the slumped position in his seat.

"And they think it has something to do with the kids?" Giggles continued.

"Okay, that's honestly the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Splendid joined in the conversation with crossed arms, looking over the group with a lifted eyebrow. "Why would the kids have anything to do with this? The curse has been around before they were born. We've all been around long enough to know."

"Maybe we're all thinking this the wrong way," Everyone turned to see that Mole had spoken up, despite never talking at conferences. He had a hand under his chin as he glanced down to think. "What if, instead of coming here to stop the Curse, they found a way to counter it. And because this is the place where it came from, they want to test it out on us first. Who else better than the ones who can't defend themselves?"

"Thinking about it like that makes a bit of sense," Cuddles responded. "And targeting the kids might be their way of punishing us for having the Curse. The only real question is where they are."

"Who are they anyway?" Disco Bear asked, not looking up from the mirror he was holding. Evershed spoke up to answer. "From what I have heard, this organization is known as the Dick Squad." Fliqpy snorted in response before he started to laugh. "What the fuck kind of name is that?" He snickered. "Did it come from their personalities or what?"

"Let's not worry about the name for now," Splendont responded to him. "We need to focus on the kids."

"Then why the hell are we all here?" Everyone turned to the former pirate, who glanced up at the group with a dead look in his eye. He rose from his position of laying on the table and placed his head in the palm of his hand. "If what everyone is saying true, then they could be dead while we're sitting here."

"Try to think positive," Lifty responded from the other side of the room. "We don't know if they're gone, so there might be a chance."

"I don't want to hear shit from you," Russell snapped in response and shot a glare towards the thief in anger. "You got your kids back while the rest of us are wondering where the hell the others are." No one could blame the bluenette for what he was saying; they knew his hysteria caused him to say negative comments and nonsense, even if he didn't mean it. Lumpy pulled him back before he jumped over a table to attack someone because of his current state of mind. "Russell."

"I was just saying," Russell retorted while turning away from his husband. "But don't come crying to me if they end up dead." The gray hue had completely covered the crimson in his eye, and Lumpy feared that he might say something that would get himself killed. Russell turned to Evershed with a glare and stood up. "Why the hell are we even doing here anyway? You're not going to do anything to help, so why call us all here!? Not like you want to help us anyway."

A gunshot rang in the air as Russell fell to the side in Lumpy's arms, gripping his right shoulder tightly as blood ran down his arm. Evershed glanced to his right and saw one of the raven-haired men lower a gun, and he sighed in response. "That wasn't necessary, but thank you Kenn," He turned back to the Tree Friends, ignoring the former pirate's glare. "We shall continue this tomorrow." With that, he and the other three men left the room, and the crowd began to make their way home.

* * *

Russell set an empty mug on the coffee table and leaned back to stare at the ceiling, feeling the aftermath of the bullet to the shoulder. Luckily, the wound only lasted for an hour, but the pain left behind took longer to fade. He closed his eye with a quiet sigh, hearing the water in the bathroom shut off. A few minutes later, Lumpy arrived in the room wearing a shirt and sweatpants and a towel around his neck. He gave the former pirate a comforting look before walking over to sit next to him. "Have you calmed down a bit?" Russell opened his eye to glance at the bluenette, leaning forward and folding his hands. "My daughter has been kidnapped by a terrorist group, I have no idea where she is, our leaders won't do jack shit, and you're asking if I'm calm?"

Lumpy scratched the back of his head and Russell got to his feet with a glare. "You act like you don't care! You think everything is fine and dandy, but tell me that when she's dead! I wish you would open your eyes and realize how serious this is!" Lumpy stood up as well, but keeps himself from hugging the other male. "Russell, I already know how bad this is, and I know how worse it's gonna get. But thinking negatively is just gonna make things worse. I try to think positive because I'm about to lose my mind. I don't want you doing the same."

With silence from the former pirate, Lumpy proceeded to make his way upstairs until he felt a tug on his shirt. "Hold me." The bluenette turned around to see tears once again and Russell tighten his grip. "Lumpy please." Lumpy slowly wrapped arms around him and pulled him close, and instantly, Russell latched onto him and cried. The bluenette kissed the top of his head to soothe him and rubbed his back. "We'll get her back. I promise." A tighter hug was his only response, and Lumpy pulled away to peck him on the lips.

In a matter of seconds, the two had thrown each other on the bed, and in no time, they moved against each other in sync. It was natural for the two of them to relieve each other in hopes of blowing off the steam they had. Lumpy leaned forward to cup both of the former pirate's cheeks, bringing their lips together for a kiss as his thumb snuck under the eyepatch. Russell wiggled in protest, but the taller male ignored him and threw the patch towards the floor. Lumpy broke the kiss to gaze into his eyes, specifically at the blind eye that the bluenette always kept hidden. He watched it snap shut as his hips rocked at a harder and faster pace, and open again with a glossy look. He watched hands grip the sheets with tight pleasure, legs wrapping around his waist with desperation, and lips begging to be kissed with need. Russell turned away so the taller bluenette couldn't see his eye, but Lumpy tilted his face so their eyes could meet. "Don't hide from me," He muttered. "Only I get to see this."

Lumpy's only response was a moan as Russell's prostate was struck again and again, which prevented him from speaking. The taller bluenette could feel his release begin to creep up on him, and he could tell that Russell was close based on the tightness surrounding him. He grabbed Russell by the chin and pulled him forward for a final kiss as they reached climax.

It didn't take long for the two to clean up and settle into bed, Lumpy holding the other close and kissing his cheek. He felt Russell tremble somewhat, and he tightened his grip to calm him. "It's gonna be okay," He muttered in his ear. "Don't worry."

* * *

Flippy rose from his seat next to the red-head when he heard a knock on his front door. He gave Flaky a peck on the cheek before going to answer it, opening the door to see his doppelgänger with a slight glare. "Don't give me that look." Flippy said as Fliqpy stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. Fliqpy turned to the greenette and crossed his arms. "So, tell me why I'm here."

"I'm gonna head out to get some info about the kids, so I need you to stay with Flakes until I get back." Fliqpy gave him a look of disbelief and lifted an eyebrow. Flippy sighed in response, knowing what kind of reactions he would get from his doppelgänger, so he wasn't surprised to his facial expressions. "I ain't a fucking babysitter. Can't you take him with you?"

"You really think he'll want to go with me to somewhere potentially dangerous?" Flippy asked with a hand on his hip and lowered eyes. "This is Flaky we're talking about; He'll be too scared to go along," He heard his other half scoff under his breath and turn away, and he smiled in return. "Come on, I know you don't like seeing him like this either."

"You don't know that." Fliqpy retorted, but the faint blush on his cheeks told the veteran otherwise. He sighed and led Fliqpy into the living room, being welcomed by Flaky resting his head on a pillow. He seemed unfazed at Fliqpy's presence once he spotted the two, and went back to cuddling the plush porcupine in his arms. Flippy stepped over to him and knelt in front of him so they gazed at eye level. "Listen Flakes, I'm gonna be gone for a while to get some insight on where the kids are," In an instant, Flaky's eyes widened and wrapped arms around the greenette, quietly whimpering in the crook of his neck and tightening his hug. Flippy sighed and pulled him away by the waist. "I'll be back soon, so don't worry." He gave the red-head a gentle kiss before pulling away and moving towards the door, stopping where his doppelgänger stood. "I swear to the Cursed Idol if I see anything on him, whether it be a cut or a hickey if you tried, I will kill you."

"Yeah yeah." Fliqpy waved his hand slightly, and Flippy gave him a slight glare before leaving the house. Fliqpy looked over at the distraught red-head, and sat next to him with a sigh. "Look, I'm not the kind of person that would use comforting words, but your kid will be fine. I think your boyfriend can handle a few terrorists." He heard no response, and saw that Flaky had curled up into a slight ball and apparently didn't hear him. Fliqpy lowered his eyes and proceeded to lift the red-head off of the couch and into his lap, surprised that Flaky didn't flinch or look to see who was holding him. Flaky nuzzled into the greenette and closed his eyes. "You're warm." He muttered with another nuzzle, causing Fliqpy to blush and pull his beret over his eyes. "Just get some sleep." He responded as he turned away.

* * *

Sniffles ran a hand through messy hair as he stared at his laptop screen and groaned in frustration. He had been searching for information about the terrorist organization, but unfortunately, he had no luck on useful facts. He leaned back and pushed up his glasses and crossed his arms, hearing the door open on his left. He turned to see Nutty enter the room with a concerned look. "You've been in here for hours, and I wanted to see if you were alright." He crawled onto the bed to hug the blue-haired man from behind, nuzzling into the place between his shoulder blades with a small sigh. Sniffles held both of his hands in response and leaning into the touch. "I'm worried about you to be honest. You haven't had candy all day, and you've been more twitchy than usual."

"I've calmed down a bit," Nutty replied. "That flavor-lasting gum helped me feel better." He pulled away and Sniffles leaned back so his head rested in Nutty's lap. Nutty blushed in response and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on the lips. Sniffles cupped his cheeks and lifted himself to deepen the kiss, causing Nutty to grip his shoulders tightly. They pulled away for a breath of air and gazed at each other lovingly. Sniffles wiped the tears from one of the green-haired male's eyes with his thumb, which had Nutty leaning into the hand on his cheek. "I'm scared, Sniffles."

"I am too." Sniffles sat up and returned to the laptop screen to do more research on the children's whereabouts. Nutty swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, making his way towards the door. "There's food on the stove if you're hungry."

"I'll eat later."

"But I want you to eat with me." Sniffles looked up to see Nutty with lowered eyes and a slight frown. He sighed and closed the laptop before pushing himself off of the bed with the laptop tucked under his arm. "Alright. I don't want to leave you all by yourself." He pecked the greenette on the lips a second time before heading down to the dining room. He glanced back into the room a second time before pulling a small chocolate wrapped in plastic out of his pocket. Nutty popped the chocolate in his mouth, savoring the taste for a few seconds before closing the bedroom door behind him.

* * *

Handy wrapped an arm around the bluenette next to him as they watched one of their favorite movies. Petunia leaned her head on his shoulder with lowered eyes and reached out for the cup of tea on the coffee table. Her fingers barely touched the handle when she saw a tiny hand covered with blood grab onto her wrist. With a shriek, she dropped the cup, and hid in the red-head's arms. Handy pulled her close and kissed the top of her head, his eyes glancing over to the fallen teacup. "It's alright," He muttered while stroking her hair. "There's nothing there."

"B-But-" Petunia was cut off with a few kisses and a tighter hug. She turned around to see nothing on the coffee table, and she returned to hiding her face into the other. Handy sighed and only held her close. Since Lilac's disappearance, her hallucinations had gotten worse as the hours passed, and the blue-haired woman was at a breaking point. He began to worry when he thought of her hallucinations resulting in causing harm to herself. Handy turned off the TV and lifted Petunia off of the couch bridal style, and began to head upstairs towards the bedroom. "How about you get some rest? You've been through a lot today." Petunia only wrapped arms around his neck and pulled herself close.

Handy opened the door and stepped inside, gently placing the bluenette on the bed and cupped her cheek. He crawled onto the bed beside her as she turned towards him, holding both of his hands and pulling them towards her chest. "I'm sorry." She muttered.

"You don't need to be sorry for anything," Petunia glanced at him with tears in her eyes and she lowered her head. Handy leaned in and kissed her softly before cupping one of her cheeks. "It's not your fault." He gave the bluenette a comforting smile and kissed her again, having Petunia respond by wrapping her arms around him.

* * *

Ruby curled up next to the other captured children as the leader of their kidnappers paced the room with a hand on his chin. He turned towards the toddlers and lifted an eyebrow before continuing his pace. The tiny red-head scooted closer to Umi and held onto her tightly as tears began to fill her eyes. "I wanna go home."

"Me too." Umi replied in a soft tone as she hugged the younger in return, pulling out a small amulet from her pocket. Ruby looked over with a curious glance as she spotted it. "What's that?"

"Mama got it from pirates," Umi replied. "I wanted to show it to everyone because I wanted them to see how pretty it was. I was keeping it hidden in case the bad guys saw it." Ruby couldn't take her eyes off of the gem, which was crimson-colored and encased in gold. She silently mentioned that the gem matched the color of Umi and Russell's eyes. She wanted to reach out and touch it, but held herself back in case the tiny bluenette didn't want to give it to her yet. She looked at the other children and saw Danny trying to calm his sisters, and Lilac curled in a ball a few feet away. She glanced at the door to see two men standing at the entrance, and another high on a ledge on her left gazing out of the window with a rifle.

Umi shoved the gem back into her pocket and out of sight the moment the leader shouted "Wait a minute!" The other three men in the room shot their heads towards him, and he glanced around to meet Ruby's eyes. Ruby shrouded away in fear, but it wasn't long before she was pulled forward to meet the leader's eyes. He hummed to himself before his eyes widened at the familiar emerald orbs that she had. He smirked and shoved the girl away and laughed. "Well what do we have here? The child of the spineless soldier!" The other three men glanced over with wide eyes, and the leader turned back towards them. "We've all heard the stories right? About how he got his entire squad killed and hid in a corpse?"

"I heard he threw a pizza slice at the enemy instead of a knife!"

"Didn't he get his hands cut off when he fought the general?"

"Who in their right mind would want to have a kid with him?"

"What a pussy!" The leader cackled loudly and lifted his head. "I never thought I would get revenge on the guy who killed our boss, but now that I have his kid, who knows what I can do?" He turned back to the tiny red-head, who hid behind Umi once again and hid her face. Once the leader saw the bluenette, he lifted an eyebrow at the crimson color in her eyes and the familiar resemblance on her face. He turned back to the others with a wider smirk. "Who here remembers the Sea Pirates?" At once, their eyes widened and jerked their heads towards the toddler, who kept her ground and put on a brave face. "Are you serious?"

"Never imagined that he would have a kid."

"Why is everyone fucking the crazy people!?"

"W-What are you talking about?" Umi spoke up with slight fear in her voice. The leader knelt down to her eye level with a sneer. "Where did you get that beauty, my dear?" He asked in a low tone, and Umi's eyes widened when she realized that he was talking about the gem her mother had given her. She lowered her head and averted her gaze. "M-My Mama gave it to me."

"So he really did bottom," The leader muttered under his breath. "Couldn't see him shoving a dick in someone."

"B-But why do you want to know about Mama?" He turned his gaze back to her with a malicious glint in his eyes. "Your Mama is one of the evil pirates from the stories. He stole from others and hurt many people." He could see the fear began to spread on the girl's face, and he backed away. "That gem was probably stolen by an innocent man, and your mother killed him with no mercy," The toddler curled into a ball, forcing Ruby to come out of hiding and glance at the leader. "Who would have guessed that we have the children of the two most dangerous men on the planet."

"They're not bad anymore," He jerked his head to see that the eldest of the triplets spoke up with a surprisingly calm tone. "Mr. Russell doesn't do that anymore, and Mr. Flippy is good."

"Ah I see who you are," The leader replied. "You're the kid of that stupid scientist, and judging by your sisters, he got with the candy-loving maniac. And that other brat over there," He pointed to Lilac, who was quiet throughout the conversation. "Is completely new to me." He turned towards the door and looked over at his followers. "Make sure this door is locked when you leave. I don't want anyone finding them."

"Sure." The leader glanced back at the children one last time before leaving the room. Ruby kept her gaze on her friend, who seemed distraught from the information she had heard. "Mama's not a pirate. Pirates are bad. Mama is good. It's not true." The red-head wrapped arms around Umi in hopes of comforting her, and turned her gaze towards the high window with fear. She hoped that someone, or anyone, would be able to bring them home.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 **I own nothing of Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media.**

The next morning, the group decided to return to the conference hall for more information about the children. While they came in small waves, they patiently waited for Evershed and the other leaders to arrive. Flaky glanced around with a concerned gaze to see if Flippy had returned from his trip. On his right, Fliqpy had his feet on the table and was leaned back with his beret over his eyes, looking over at the red-head before closing his eyes. "He's fine, brat. Don't get so worked up." Flaky didn't respond, but only shot his head up when he heard a door slam. He looked back towards the entrance to see the veteran running a hand through his hair, followed by Russell and Lumpy heading to their seats. The red-head jumped out of his seat and proceeded to run towards the green-haired male, who nearly fell back because of the arms around him. Flippy pulled the younger male close with a smile. "I'm alright Flakes."

"What the fuck took you so long? Did you go to China to get that information?" Fliqpy asked while lifting his head, having Flippy sigh and pull away from the red-head slightly. "Apparently, it took me longer than I thought to get info on their base. By the time I got here, it was two in the morning, so I decided to crash." He led Flaky back to their seats, glaring at Fliqpy once he sat down. "We'll talk about what you did later." He muttered, having his doppelgänger shrug in response and glance over at the two bluenettes. "Hey pirate bitch! Nice marks!" He shouted with a sneer, but Russell could give less of a damn about his comment since he was so focused on his daughter's whereabouts, holding onto Lumpy's arm for comfort and nuzzling him with a tight grip. Handy, Toothy, and Cuddles entered the hall, guiding a fatigued Petunia towards their seats, Pop kept Cub close to him in case the child ran off, Lammy and Truffles quietly entered with Mr. Pickels behind him, Sniffles and Nutty sat next to the twins and Sniffles placed a laptop on the desk in front of him, and the rest began to fill in slowly.

It took another half hour of waiting before Evershed and the others arrived, sitting in their seats and looking over at the Tree Friends. "We have called you all here a second time because we have new information about the Dick Squad," Fliqpy snorted again and kept his head down to hide his laughter. Evershed coughed to get his attention before continuing. "Although, this information was discovered by two individuals. Sniffles had found the location of this organization, and Flippy took the courtesy of visiting their headquarters himself."

"I didn't even go in," Flippy interrupted. "I just looked around the building and tried not to get caught. Unfortunately, I didn't hear any of the guys outside talk about the kids and where they were." Flaky's shoulders fell in sadness and he lowered his head as Sniffles opened his laptop. "According to what I found, their base is past Happy Tree Mountain, so it's pretty far. Luckily, it's inside the boundaries of the Curse, so if anything happened to us, we could easily come back to life. But the downside is there isn't a nearby hospital for miles, so we're pretty much screwed."

"Why does it matter to you?" Russell snapped at Evershed with a glare. "Like you're gonna do anything about it." Lumpy pulled him closer in case he said anything else that would result in what happened the day before. Luckily for the two of them, Kenn didn't pull out a gun as he expected. The taller male loosened his grip on the former pirate's arm slightly, but wanted to make sure that he didn't say anything out of line.

Evershed was about to speak again until the group heard static on the monitor behind the leaders. Everyone looked up, wondering what was going on only to see a malicious face appear on the screen once the static faded. "Hello~!" He shouted with a grin, surprising the group with wide eyes. "So, I know you're all wondering where the hell the brats are, and I know some of you are flipping your shits like the pirate bitch over there," He pointed to Russell, who shrouded away with a glare. "Now, my only thought is which brat should I test this new drug on?"

"So you did find a way to counter the Curse." Splendid responded with crossed arms.

"Did I say that?" The leader chuckled to himself before speaking again. "Anyway I suggest you try to stop us if you don't want them killed, but who should I start with? Maybe the brats that belong to the mad scientist?" Nutty could feel the tension emitting from the blue-haired male beside him, and began to grow worried about what he might do. "Maybe that new brat who I've never seen in my life, but who cares. Or. . ." He trailed of with a sneer as he gazed directly at Russell. "The pirate kid."

"I fucking dare you!" Russell shot up from his seat, slamming his hands on the table with a growl. The enemy smirked to respond and leaned in with a hand on his hip. "Oh? Did I upset the pirate bitch?"

"Touch her and I'll make sure you're not revived!"

"Russell." Lumpy pulled him back, causing the bluenette to growl at him as his hysteria kicked in for the umpteenth time. Evershed turned towards the leader with a blank look. "So, mind telling us who you are?"

"I don't find it necessary, but I'll tell you anyway. My name is Dave Lovelace, the leader of this group of nitwits. Glad to meet you." In an instant, Fliqpy stood from his seat with wide eyes and threw his hands on the table with a shout. "I fucking killed you! How are you still alive!?"

"Fliq, what are you talking about?" Flippy asked with concern as Flaky was pulled towards him. His counterpart curled up his fists with a glare, not looking away from Dave. "This fucker is one of the Tiger General's lackeys. He was killed along with whoever else was in that fucking tent, as well as the general." The veteran's eyes widened and shot his head towards the screen, a scowl beginning to grow on his face. "I see. He wants revenge for killing his leader. No wonder he's happy about Ruby."

"I don't even need to say it, do I?" Dave sneered from the monitor before crossing his arms and leaning back. "But if you want these kids, better hurry and grab them before I lost my patience." The screen turned into static before fading to black, leaving the group in complete silence. Evershed sighed and folded his hands, gazing over at the parents with a blank stare. "I know what you're all going to say, so I have no objections to stop you."

"Do we really have a choice?" Kenn asked lazily, placing an elbow on the table and leaning onto it. "I mean, they have the decision to save their kids."

"Then you already know what I'm about to say," Flippy responded with a serious tone. "I'm going to get my daughter back."

"As if I'll leave the mission to you alone," Sniffles responded with a lifted eyebrow, sliding the laptop into his arms and standing up. "Which is why I'm going as well."

"Sniffles." Nutty grabbed onto his arm and pulled on it slightly with concern, having the bluenette respond by stroking his cheek. A moment later, Handy stood up as well and slumped over the table. "If anything, I know that you two are fucking crazy, which means I'm not entrusting the safety of my son to the likes of you."

"I'm not sure if that's an insult or you saying that you're coming with us," Sniffles lifted an eyebrow with a smile before turning his gaze over to Lumpy and Russell. "I know neither of you want the three of us to get your daughter, so who's coming with us?"

Lumpy crossed his arms with closed eyes, believing that he should be the one to go, but looked over to see his husband giving him a dead look. He wasn't completely sure about his decision, seeing that Russell was at a breaking point with the hysteria and having the fear that the former pirate might attack someone. Lumpy sighed and pulled away, allowing Russell to stand in affirmation. Evershed smiled in response before rising to his feet. "I leave the rest to you."

* * *

An hour later, the group was preparing to depart for their journey. Handy closed the hood of the van with a thumbs up, signaling that there were going to be no casualties on the way. He stepped over to Petunia and held both of her hands close, whispering loving words to her and pecking her on the lips. "I'll be back soon."

"I know." Petunia replied with a smile and another kiss. The two held in their embrace long enough to give the other couples their time to say their farewells. Not far from them, Sniffles had set his laptop in the passenger seat with Nutty watching him with a worried glance. He lowered his head and intertwined his fingers. "I have a bad feeling about this." He said, keeping his eyes towards the ground. His voice grabbed the scientist's attention and he glanced over at the candy lover with a tender gaze. Sniffles cupped one of his cheeks gently and pulled him close with a calm smile. "Everything will be fine. Trust me."

"But-"

"Trust me, Nutty," The blue-haired male pulled him into a tight hug and held him close. "Do you trust me?" The greenette nuzzled his shoulder before wrapping arms around the other. He lifted his head and kissed his cheek. "I'm not letting you come home unless you have the kids."

"I'll have them with me." Nutty smiled and pulled away slightly before Sniffles brought their lips together for a kiss, intertwining their fingers tightly as they broke apart for air. "You taste sweet." Nutty whispered against his lips, having the bluenette smirk to respond and lift his chin with a finger. "Only when I'm kissing you." The candy lover giggled and pecked him once again.

Russell and Lumpy sat in the trunk of the van with the door open, the two of them siting in silence. Russell was curled up in a ball in a corner while Lumpy sat on the opposite side, keeping his gaze on the former pirate with concern. Both of them knew that the taller bluenette had allowed him to save their daughter in his place, although the silence between them was beginning to worry him. Lumpy was reminded of the mere hours after Russell was raped, when the two never gave each other so much as a glance. He thought back to how it took him a little over a month to apologize, and it took him three years to tell the former pirate how he truly felt about what had happened. Lumpy feared that it would happen again.

Lumpy was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt the surface underneath him tilt and he lifted his head to feel a familiar pair of lips press against his own. Russell seated himself in the other's lap and pulled him close. Lumpy cupped his cheeks gently as they broke apart for air, gazing into each others' eyes with concern. "I knew exactly what you were thinking," Russell spoke up in a soft tone. "You were scared about us not talking again."

"Am I an open book or what?" Lumpy sighed before the former pirate kissed him again, this time averting his eyes towards the ground. "To be honest, I'm more worried about how he called me a pirate so willingly in front of the kids. So, that just got me to think that he told Umi about who I was before moving in with you." He curled up in the taller male's lap with a small sigh, and Lumpy tilted his head back. Even before becoming pregnant, Russell never wanted to reveal that he used to be a pirate in front of children because he knew of the stories their parents would tell. Besides Lumpy, only a few knew of his past while the rest only thought he was interested enough to dress as a pirate. Umi was in the majority who thought he was fascinated with pirates, and Russell planned to keep it that way.

"I don't want her to be afraid of me." Russell held himself close and lowered his head, causing Lumpy to hold him close. "Umi's stronger than you think. I don't think she'll be scared of you if you're trying to protect her."

"You think so?" Lumpy gave him a comforting smile and nodded, having Russell smile with hope. "You're right. I shouldn't be too worried about it." The taller bluenette pulled him into a tight embrace in hopes of never letting him go.

"I'm surprised you didn't want to go." Flippy commented on his doppelgänger's behavior with crossed arms and Flaky at his side. The three of them were in the shadow of the car so they could talk privately. Fliqpy placed a hand on his hip with a lowered gaze. "I want to go and see him killed for myself. If I had known, none of this would be happening. If this wasn't about the kids, then I would already be on my way."

"So you're not going because it's my kid?" Fliqpy nodded to respond and lifted his head. "I can take care of Flakes when you're gone."

"My only concern is if I can trust you not to do anything." Flippy gave him an unconvinced glance and a lifted eyebrow. Flaky held a tighter grip on his sleeve and pulled himself closer. "I-I don't think he'll do anything. I-I mean nothing happened last night." The veteran looked back at him before letting out a sigh. "Alright. I trust you Flakes," He pecked the red-head on the cheek before calling out to the others. "Okay! Let's get a move on before sunset!" One by one, the remaining people going on the trip gave their partners a final kiss before entering the car, along with Flippy pecking Flaky on the lips before climbing into the driver's seat and glancing at his other half. "Take care of him."

"Don't even have to ask." With a nod of confirmation, Flippy started the engine and began to back out of the parking lot, turning the vehicle towards the wilderness and slowly drove out of sight. The partners who remained were completely still until going back to their homes, praying to themselves about what was to come.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 **I do not own Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media**

The group could see the sun beginning to set in the distance as they drove along the road towards Happy Tree Mountain, none of them saying a word as they traveled to their destination. Sniffles was typing on his laptop, searching for more information about the Dick Squad, Handy was looking out of the window to pass the time, and Russell was curled up with his eyes closed, hoping to get more sleep. Flippy couldn't help but worry once he thought of what they were going to be greeted with once they arrived, causing him to grip the steering wheel tighter. He sighed loudly, breaking the silence in the vehicle. "I was waiting for someone to speak up," Sniffles said. "I guess we're all too nervous to say anything."

"I'm not denying it." Handy replied, not turning away from the window. Sniffles closed his laptop briefly to glance at the veteran. "It's surprising that Fliqpy didn't come."

"According to him, he would go if it didn't involve the kids," Flippy replied, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Although, I think that's not the only reason."

"Then what's the other reason?" Russell spoke up and glance over towards the front seat. Flippy let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "If I could guess with 100% confidence, it's because he has feelings for Flaky."

"What!?" Everyone's heads shot up simultaneously at the response and Handy leaned forward. "Wait, if he likes Flaky, then would he have not raped Flaky back then?"

"They were still one person when Flaky was pregnant," Russell responded with crossed arms. "I highly doubt Fliqpy loved anything besides killing." All of Flaky's closest friends were informed of what had happened between him and Flippy during his pregnancy. Of course, they resented the veteran for as long as they could before accepting that it wasn't technically his fault that Flaky was raped and traumatized from the experience.

"When did this start happening?" Sniffles asked. Flippy was quiet so he could think before speaking. "If I remember right, a few months after Ruby was born, Flakes told me he visited while I was out. Being the protective guy I am, I freaked out, but Flaky told me that he didn't do anything. I found it weird, so I went to talk to Fliqpy myself, and he told me that he didn't want to hurt Flaky after everything that's happened."

"Okay hold on," Russell interrupted with a lifted eyebrow. "Are we talking about the same person? The Fliqpy I know wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone. For him to suddenly take pity on someone just sounds absurd."

"It doesn't sound right," Handy continued. "Even after Flaky was traumatized and nearly died, Fliqpy would still try to hurt him. I could understand him not hurting Flakes at the near end of his pregnancy because he doesn't want to possibly kill a baby, but he would try to kill him after Ruby was born."

"Maybe it's a side effect from being split into two people." Sniffles suggested. Flippy nodded in return. "That's what I think, but let's not worry about that. We need to focus on the kids."

"I already have a plan regarding that," Sniffles opened his laptop, revealing a 3D blueprint of the Dick Squad's headquarters. Russell and Handy leaned forward to have a closer look and spotting many different colored dots. "You see, when the kids were born, I took a small DNA sample from each of them in case one of them went missing. I'm glad this actually came in handy."

"Next time, ask for permission before experimenting on our kids." Handy replied in a dead tone while the others gave him a blank look. Sniffles let out a breath. "You should at least be thankful that I actually have a way to find the kids in the first place. Anyway I hacked into their systems to get a map of the building, so I actually know which rooms the kids are in."

"It looks like Umi and Ruby are in the back." Russell pointed to a dark blue dot in one cube, and a crimson red dot in another. Handy glanced at the map and saw an orchid-colored dot in one of the side cubes, his heart beginning to fill with worry. "And how do we know they're alive?"

"If the dot disappears, that's when we need to worry. For now, nothing has happened to them," Sniffles kept his eyes on the three green dots that were huddled together in the side of a cube near the front before clicking on the cube, which showed the entire room on a video feed. "Which is why, just in case, I hacked the security cameras." He clicked on the other cubes that the children were in, revealing them to be curled up against the wall. Russell gripped the seat in front of him tightly with a glare.

Flippy lifted his head and saw that they had passed Happy Tree Mountain, and gripped the steering wheel tighter. "We're almost there. Sniffles, keep an eye on the kids and I swear if I see so much as a scratch on my daughter, I'm going to rip someone apart," The last few words were said with a growl before he talked in his normal tone. "Everyone else, prepare for the shit storm."

* * *

"Hey Keplinger." The second in command glanced over his shoulder to see Dave step towards him with a smile. He sighed and placed a hand on his hip. "Dude, we've been over this. We don't have to call each other by our last names anymore."

"It's a habit," Dave replied. "Anyway I know for a fact that those assholes are coming here to grab their kids, so what I want you and some other people to do is guard the brats and make sure they're not taken." Keplinger smiled in return. "Tell me where to go."

"You'll be with the pirate brat since you're the only one who knows that guy's weaknesses. I mean, didn't you sail with him at one point?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't as close with him as his first mate was." Keplinger replied with crossed arms.

"Still, you're our best shot." The second in command sighed before nodding. "Who will you be with?"

"Who do you think?" Dave's face grew a wide smirk and began to walk past him. Without another word, Keplinger headed towards one of the back rooms, opening the door to see the tiny bluenette curled up against the wall. He closed the door behind him and approached the toddler slowly, hearing her mutter something about her mother. Keplinger leaned against the wall and waited for further instructions from his partner, lifting his head to glance at the window and watching the sun disappear.

* * *

Once the base was visible, Flippy made sure that the vehicle was hidden safely in the trees, but close enough to the front entrance. He turned off the engine and glanced behind him, noticing that Russell and Handy were dying to run out of the van and into the building. "I know you two are itching to kill, but we first need to go over what we're doing," Sniffles brought their attention once again and pointed at the map. "Now Handy, because you have lesser combat skills than Flippy and Russell, you will be crawling through the vents to get to the rooms Lilac and the triplets are in-"

"Wait a minute," Handy interrupted. "Why am I getting your kids?"

"Do you really think I'd last a second in there? I'm not a fighter like the three of you," The bluenette replied. "And besides, if we left the car unprotected, someone might steal it and we would be stuck here to die." The orange-haired man opened his mouth to speak again, but closed his lips and nodded silently, allowing Sniffles to continue. "Anyway you'll be crawling through the vents to get to Lilac and the triplets, and you will lead them outside and back here. I don't think there will be any goons in those rooms once Flippy and Russell walk in. Speaking of which, you two will go through the front door and you are allowed to kill anyone in sight." The former pirate's eye lit up as he grinned. "But don't we need weapons or something?" Handy asked.

"Who do you guys think I am?" Flippy stepped out of the driver's seat and made his way towards the trunk, signaling everyone to follow suit. Once he lifted the door, he slid his fingers under a board and pulled it upwards, showing the others a handful of weapons they could use. "As for you," He said to Russell as he reached his hand down. A moment later, he pulled out a sheathed sword and Russell's eye widened. "No way."

"Apparently Evershed snuck it in before we left," The veteran replied before handing it to him. "I think you'll be alright, no?" The bluenette nodded and held the sword close. Flippy handed a gun to the orange-haired man before grabbing a handgun and knife for himself. "You're probably gonna need that if you run into someone." Handy nodded in response as Sniffles held his laptop in one hand and typed with the other. "Alright, after I disable the security cameras, we can put our plan into action."

Russell slightly unsheathed the sword in his hand and peered at it with a determined gaze before lifting his head to glance at the Dick Squad's base. The only two things on his mind were his daughter and killing those who kidnapped her. He knew that the other parents felt the same about their children, and he knew that once this was over, either he or Flippy would have the place burned to the ground. He only hoped that the plan would work and that the curse wouldn't get in the way of the mission.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 **I do not own Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media**

"Three. . . . . two. . . . one." Sniffles counted down with a final tap of the keyboard, causing all of the security cameras in the surrounding area to fall to static. "Now then, before you go, there's one last thing I need to give you," He gave a small earpiece to each of them before explaining. "This will keep us in touch, and it will also tell me where exactly you are. Even though I disabled the cameras, there might be a chance that there will be organization members in your way, so don't doubt the possibility. The only cameras that I haven't disabled are the cameras in the rooms where the kids are. Handy, once you're in the vents, I'll give you the all clear and tell you which room to go through first."

Handy nodded in confirmation before turning towards Russell and Flippy. "Let's make this quick and get home before dawn," Flippy announced, gun in hand and stepping forward towards the front entrance. He signaled the former pirate to stay close behind him, and he glanced back at Sniffles. "Wish us luck." With a nod from the bluenette, the three dashed towards the building quietly.

Handy glanced around to see if anyone was in the area before bending down and pulling out the vent, looking around one last time before crawling through. "So do I just stay in here until you tell me where to go?" He asked quietly.

 _"Yes, but I do want you to keep moving until you see an intersection."_ Handy sighed and continued to crawl. "Well it's not like it could get any worse." Shouts and screams from farther down answered his comment, and he lowered his head. "They could at least keep the blood spill to a minimum."

* * *

More organization members began to attack the two intruders, although they were killed quickly. Flippy was ducked behind a pillar as he waited for the wave of bullets to end, but Russell constantly deflected them with his sword and was soon cutting throats. "Remind me not to meet him in a dark alley." Flippy muttered to himself before joining the fight and shooting whoever was in sight. _"You guys need to draw out more so Handy can grab the kids."_

"There won't be a problem with that," Russell responded as he stabbed another person from behind before advancing. "Hey hey why are you hiding!?" He called out to the shadows before him with a grin, dragging his blood-covered sword along the floor beside him. "I promise it will only hurt for a moment! You won't die!"

 _He's enjoying this far too much,_ Flippy thought after slitting another throat. _Maybe his love for killing has come back._ He followed the bluenette into the dark hallways and further towards the back of the facility. He had a feeling that he should keep a close eye on the former pirate in case he lost control of himself. Now that he thought about it, since the confrontation in the conference hall, Russell's eye had appeared more gray than red, and the sight concerned him. Flippy feared that the hysteria consuming the bluenette might cause him to harm Umi. The mere thought only made him quicken his pace.

* * *

 _"Handy, Lilac's room is clear. Go left and follow that path."_ Handy began to go through the left air duct and crawled faster at the thought of seeing the toddler. It didn't take him long to see a light before him and he punched the vent to let himself in the room. Upon the loud crash, Lilac's head shot up in fear before seeing his father slowly crawl out of the vent with a grunt. "Okay that was uncomfortable."

"Papa?" Handy looked up with wide eyes at the tearful voice and saw the tiny violette running into his arms. Handy held him close and lifted him off of the ground with a smile. Lilac curled into a ball and held onto his shirt. "Sorry that it took us so long. Bet you were scared." The toddler nodded but didn't meet his gaze. His father let out a small sigh before speaking. "Sniffles, how's it going? Am I able to leave through the door?"

 _"Yeah since most of the fighting is near Umi and Ruby's location,"_ Sniffles responded from the earpiece. _"The triplets are just north of your position."_

"Right." Handy opened the door, cradling the toddler in an arm, and glanced around the hallway to hear faint gunshots and screams. "Papa, what's that?" Lilac's voice held more fear than usual, and Handy's grip around him tightened. "Nothing for you to worry about." He responded softly as he turned the other way, making sure his son didn't seen the corpses he was stepping around. _I'm not sure if I should even hide the fact that we're walking in a hall full of dead bodies,_ He thought to himself. _He's going to find out about the Curse eventually, but why do I feel so uneasy about hiding it from him?_

His thoughts continued to trouble him as he made his way to his second destination, having him stand in front of the door with a lowered gaze. Lilac noticed that he wasn't moving, and lifted his head to gaze at his father. "Papa, why did we stop? I thought we were gonna see Mama."

"We have to get the other kids first." Handy replied to him, keeping his soft tone to make sure he didn't scare him. He reached out a hand to turn the door knob before throwing it open. As he expected, he only saw the triplets against a wall with frightened glances. He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Sniffles I found your kids. They're safe."

 _"Thank God,"_ He heard Sniffles mutter under his breath in relief before continuing to speak. _"Alright I think you'll be able to go through the front entrance._ Handy nodded before turning back to the children, motioning them to walk towards him. "Let's go before the bad guys come back. Your daddy is waiting for you."

"Really?" Candy's eyes lit up slightly as she stood up to follow her siblings. Handy nodded and lead them out of the room. Luckily for him, there weren't as many corpses near the front entrance as he thought, but he still wanted to be careful. He cautiously lead the kids towards the front entrance, pushing the door open and glancing around to see if there wasn't anyone outside. After a few moments, he pulled the kids outside and began to run towards the car. "Sniffles open the door." The passenger door flew open and the bluenette stepped out of the car with wide eyes. "I swear if I saw that they were hurt, I would have killed you."

"I know I know." Handy climbed in the trunk as the triplets almost tackled their father to the ground with tears. Lilac glanced around and lifted his head. "Are we gonna see Mama now?"

"We have to wait for Umi and Ruby." The toddler nuzzled him in response and closed his eyes as Handy looked back towards the building in concern. He hoped that Flippy and Russell made it to their daughters with ease, although the mountain of corpses he saw told him that there was nothing to fear. But, he couldn't help but feel nervous about what might happen to them. Handy had a quick thought to go back and help them, but the sleeping toddler in his lap told him to stay and leave it to them. _How would I be able to help anyway? They're more experienced than I am, so I would only get in the way._ He leaned his head back and decided to wait.

* * *

 _"Guys you're almost there. Just keep heading straight until you see an intersection."_

"Why stop there?" Flippy asked as he pulled his knife out of someone's back.

 _"Because you each have to go down a hallway to get to your daughter."_

"Just tell me where to go." Russell responded as he wiped blood off of his cheek and stuck his sword in the ground before leaning on it. He looked around at the corpses that littered the floor and let out a sigh. "Ah jeez. We're gonna have to clean this up, aren't we?" When silence was his response, he turned around to look back at the veteran. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah," Flippy replied with a step closer. "I'm just thinking about what would happen once we see our kids. I mean, aren't you worried about how Umi would think of you since she knows you were a pirate?" Russell lowered his gaze to the sword and closed his eye. "I am scared, since I don't think he told her the full story. And I have to be careful when it comes to killing around her. I can either kill the guy and scar my daughter, causing her to be scared of me for the rest of her life, or I could beat his ass and allow him to live another day. Naturally, I'd feel uneasy about letting my daughter's kidnapper live, so I might go with scarring her."

"Are you sure that's okay?"

"Why wouldn't it? They were gonna find out about the Curse eventually. We were just trying to shield them from it for as long as we could," He released a sigh and kicked the ground. "We were foolish to do that. I'm surprised that Cub hasn't said anything to them about it since he's been around long enough." Flippy crossed his arms and thought back to when he and Flaky decided to keep Ruby away from Fliqpy to make sure that she wouldn't be influenced by him, but as Russell had stated, it was only a matter of time before she found out what was really going on.

Flippy sighed and uncrossed his arms in response. "As much as I hate it, you're right. Although, I'm more worried about Ruby's mental stability than Umi's."

"It's not surprising. She is her mother's daughter." The veteran smiled at the comment, knowing it was all too true. "Alright, the longer we stand around, the more time we waste." The two continued to fight their way towards the back of the headquarters to save their children and return home.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 **I do not own Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media(Also shout out to Better A Freak Than A Fake for helping me with this chapter)**

Russell darted down the left hallway after following the bluenette's instructions, making his way towards the end of the hall and was surprised to not see any organization members. He slightly stopped and glanced around. "This looks way too easy," He muttered. "Like they're trying to lead me on."

 _"It's probably a trap."_

"Maybe, but what other choice do I have?" Russell lowered his head towards the floor and gripped his sword tighter. The more he thought it was a trap, the more concerned he became for Umi. The former pirate believed that they were using her as bait to lead him, and then ambush him so he would have no escape. Russell chuckled to himself at the thought and shook his head. "No way they would pull that." He said before continuing on.

It didn't take him long to reach the end of the hall, and he was greeted with a pair of double doors. He released the breath he was holding in and gripped the handle tightly. The former pirate mentally prepared himself for whatever was in the room before pulling open the door and peering inside. He was greeted with a dark room that he found odd and took a few steps inside, having a tight hold on his sword. Russell glanced around cautiously before he was grabbed from behind. He would have been thrown to the ground if he didn't stab his assailant, who pulled away with a loud grunt and fell to the concrete floor below them. "Can't believe they actually went with that." He muttered.

Lights were switched on and his eye widened when he saw Keplinger on the other side of the room, and Umi was crouched a few feet away. Keplinger smiled at the sight and crossed his arms. "It's been a long time, Captain."

"N-No way," Russell took a step back in disbelief. "You're with them?"

"I see that you're doing well," Keplinger replied as he turned away. "You see I was just telling your daughter about our tales on the sea, mostly about you and your kills." Russell jerked his head towards the toddler, who shrouded away from his gaze. He wondered how much his old crewmate had said, which increased his concern for his daughter's sanity. Russell began to fear that Keplinger had told her everything about his past. "Umi, whatever he told you, don't listen to-"

"To what? The truth?" Russell averted his gaze and causing his bangs to cover his eye. He lowered his head as the other continued. "And you had the nerve to show yourself in front of your child in that state," He pointed out the blood on the bluenette's clothes and sword. "Face it, Captain. She's terrified of you at this point if she wasn't already. Maybe your boyfriend should have gotten her instead."

Russell's head shot up with a death glare as he aimed his sword at his former crewmate. To him, it sounded as though Keplinger was doubting his capabilities as a parent, although he knew that's not what his retort meant; it was a challenge to see if the former pirate would go to any lengths to save his daughter, even if it meant scarring her. He let out a breath and took a step forward, the look in his eye beginning to calm even though the glare hasn't disappeared. "You see Andrew, there are two difference between my husband and I," He began to pick at the dried blood on his nails as he continued to speak. "The first being he has no idea what you're capable of, unlike me. Although I can't really count that as a difference because he can adapt quickly in a fight. And secondly," He lifted his gaze with a smirk. "Unlike me, he would probably do whatever he could to make sure he wouldn't scare Umi, so he would probably hold back his true strength. But I'm not like that."

Russell held his gaze as Keplinger lifted an eyebrow when he heard husband escape the other's lips. He placed a hand on his hip with a smile, slowly pulling his sword from the sheath that was around his waist. Russell tensed up slightly and got into a fighting position. "I see. Congratulations. Although, I hate to break up a marriage like this." In a flash, he lunged for the bluenette, causing Russell to dodge a lethal blow. He winced and pulled away when he felt a cut on his cheek, although the distraction didn't keep his attention for he parried the next attack by the other. "I see you didn't lose your touch."

"You're as rusty as ever." Russell wiped the blood from his cheek before darting forward in a rush, aiming straight for Keplinger's chest so he could hurry and get this over with. However, that attack was soon dodged, and the former pirate found himself being thrown onto his back with a thud. He rolled out of the way once a sword was close to piercing him once again and got back to his feet. "Nice trick, but it won't be enough to finish me."

"As expected of my former captain." Keplinger smiled until it turned into a frown as a presence rushed by him before he felt pain in his side. He looked down to see a blood stain on the side of his shirt, watching it expand onto his front. "But, you have much more to learn, my former crewmate."

"You never cease to amaze me." The other complimented before he turned to face the bluenette. Russell prepared for another attack as Keplinger slowly began to step towards him. Over the course of a few seconds, the two had clashed swords once again, never losing the glares in their eyes nor their stances. Russell had made sure that their fight got nowhere near the toddler in fear of her being hurt, and he made sure the other didn't have a chance to go near her.

Keplinger interrupted the endless parries by grabbing the bluenette by the hair and pulling him forward, having his eyes widen in response and his sword slipping out of his hand. The former crewmate didn't hesitate to plunge his sword into Russell's torso repeatedly to inflict heavy damage. Russell began to cough up blood and he headbutted Keplinger so he would be released. He staggered back in pain, reaching down to grab his blade once again as Keplinger held his broken nose. "You rotten-"

"Say it. I dare you." Russell took a few deep breaths before he was able to stand tall and ignore his injury. He knew it would heal in about an hour so he wasn't too worried about it. Russell didn't let the other recover as he soon darted forward, aiming straight for Keplinger's left eye and watching as the blade destroyed it. Keplinger pulled back with a pained groan, cursing out profanity that would have scarred Umi if she wasn't already. Russell then threw a fist, but was caught in a tight grip. "Do you really think you can defeat me like this?" A loud crack in the air had Russell shriek in pain as his hand fell motionless in the other's hold, and he tried to pull away in response. Keplinger released him and he fell to his knees, cradling his broken hand and glaring at the one standing above him. "I realize how pitiful you look right now." Russell tried to ignore the pain in his left hand as he struggled to get back to his feet, but he was kicked down soon after. The moment Keplinger raised his sword, the bluenette jerked himself back to his sword only for his eye to widen when he felt a blade make contact with the injured appendage.

The former captain screeched and fell forward with a thud, hearing Keplinger laugh behind him. "What a shame. I was hoping to get more than a hand." Russell reached out for his sword and wrapped his fingers around it tightly and holding onto the stub on his left arm. He cursed under his breath and looked to see a lifeless hand not far from where he crouched. He almost didn't notice Keplinger raise his sword to strike a final blow, and before there was a chance, Russell swung his blade at the other's abdomen, causing blood to spew along with a few organs. The enemy stumbled back with a groan as he held his organs inside and sent a glare. "You'll pay for that."

"Try me." Russell panted as he attempted to get off of the ground, although his body refused to. He watched Keplinger began to walk towards him, slowed down by his injury, and take aim. "This is the end for you," He said as he stood a foot away from the bluenette. "Once I'm done with you, the bitch of a daughter of yours is next." A moment later, he looked down to see Russell's sword pierced in his chest, and a glare that was sent from him. He used the body as leverage so he could get to his feet. "Don't you dare say that again," He growled. "I will bring you from the afterlife and kill you a second time if you do." Russell harshly yanked his sword out of Keplinger's body and watched it fall lifelessly to the floor. He felt him self losing conscious due to the massive loss of blood, but he made sure to step over towards the frightened toddler. "Umi, everything's okay now. You're safe."

Umi took one look at her mother's state and tears began to roll down her face as she cried loudly. Russell looked down at his missing hand and the blood all over his clothes. "Yes, I know I look scary, but I'm not going to hurt you." The toddler didn't even bother looking at him again, and he turned around with a sigh. "Fine then. If you don't want to go home, then I suggest you stay here with people who are scarier than me." Umi's crying had ceased at once as she watched him head for the door. Not even a second later did she grab onto his leg and hid her gaze. "I wanna see Daddy," She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "Please Mama?"

"Of course." He took her hand as they entered the hall and made their way towards the front door. Every step had Russell's vision blur, and he felt lightheaded. The former pirate saw a blur of orange heading towards him before he passed out against the wall as Umi's voice called out to him.

* * *

With a moan, Russell awoke to see that he was in the backseat of the van they had arrived in, gazing up to see his head in Handy's lap. "Don't move okay? You lost a lot of blood."

"What happened?" He muttered quietly, noticing that the stab wounds on his torso had disappeared and his amputated arm was bandaged up. "Well Sniffles told me to help you out, and I saw you passed out in the hall. Umi was losing her shit, and I brought you back here for Sniffles could make sure you didn't die."

"Oh." The bluenette looked down at his injured arm once again with a sigh, causing Handy to follow it. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. It'll be back in a few hours, although I can't imagine going without a hand." The comment alone was enough to make Russell weakly punch him in the jaw, wincing from the aftermath pain of the stabbing. With the other male's help, he sat up in his seat and looked in the trunk behind him. The rescued children had fallen asleep from the shock, and were wrapped in blankets that were surprisingly already there long before they left Happy Tree Town: The triplets were huddled together under a blanket in a corner as though they wanted to make sure not to lose each other, Lilac was curled up against the backseat and whimpering about wanting to see his mother again, and Umi was faced away from the seat. Russell lowered his gaze and turned around as Handy reached over to pull his son into his arms. "I don't think you should worry about her," He said. "Give her some times and she won't be scared of you."

"Right." Russell replied sadly and he gazed out the window again as they waited for Flippy to finish his fight with Lovelace. He closed his eyes in hopes of forgetting this entire night along with his desire to go home growing every second.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 **I do not own Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media(Side note: This chapter was written in co-authorship with Better A Freak Than A Fake)**

Once he separated from Russell, Flippy found that unlike the former pirate, he had to cut down multiple organization members on his way to the room Sniffles directed him to. However, he had little issue with them when he knew the biggest obstacle was to come. He knew for a fact that Lovelace was in the room ahead patiently waiting for him to arrive, although he could care less for he only focused on making sure Ruby was safe and sound. Having learned he'd be better off with that than the gun, he had his knife at the ready as he pushed open the door, ready for whatever attack was coming for him. Flippy noticed that the room was too quiet for his liking, and slowly stepped forward to see the two he was looking for on the other side. Trying not to lose sight of Lovelace but not acknowledging him yet, Flippy made sure that Ruby was alive and wasn't visibly injured. He ignored the smirk Lovelace wore and gazed at the frightened face of the toddler, wanting to give her a comforting smile but didn't want to look soft in front of the enemy.

He turned back to Lovelace, eyes shaded over. "Ready to die, Lovelace?" He chuckled mockingly a bit. "What an unfortunate name, isn't it?" Lovelace's smirk grew as he stepped forward, slowly drawing a knife from his back and holding it loosely in his hand. "We finally meet again," He said in a cheerful tone. "Although, I wonder how you can defeat me without your doppelganger here to help you." Flippy chuckled again in response and lifted his head with a murderous gaze, clutching his knife tightly. "There's one thing you need to know. I may not be Fliqpy, but I can sure as hell be terrifying if I'm angry enough."

"Oh, is that true because last time I checked, you couldn't tell the difference between a knife and a pizza slice." Lovelace lunged forward with the knife, going for his heart but Flippy dodge a fatal hit but the knife went into his arm, which was the one with the knife. Lovelace grinned sadistically and pulled the knife downwards. Flippy briefly called out in pain but countered, "And last time I checked, you couldn't tell the difference between an enemy soldier and a pizza delivery guy." With that, he sent a chop with his free hand to Lovelace's knifed hand being met with a loud snap.

Lovelace screeched in pain and stumbled back as Flippy darted forward to plunge the knife into his chest, but the other dodged and sent him tumbling to the floor with a rough kick to the leg. "Face it, Flippy, you always were a terrible soldier without him." Flippy got up right away and noticed that Lovelace's forearm was broke in half with the other half apparently still attached, hanging like a second elbow. Taking advantage of that, Flippy ran to that side and, in a surprising burst of strength, ripped Lovelace's arm completely off. When he did so, Ruby screamed as loud as her mother, loud enough that no one could even hear Lovelace. The scream reminded him that she was still there and being traumatized even more. Lovelace noticed this and took the opportunity to ram his elbow into Flippy's mouth, knocking out multiple teeth. Flippy groaned in pain, but it didn't stop him from stabbing Lovelace in the side to shove him off, taking a quick glance at the slightly sobbing red-head not far from the fight. The other took advantage of this to punch the former veteran hard enough to give him a black eye. Flippy swung his knife just so it sliced the skin of the side of Lovelace's face, exposing the muscle. Lovelace cried out in pain but soon mocked, through gritted teeth. "Not the best father are you, exposing your daughter to such violence."

Flippy barely had time to dodge another swing before harshly throwing the other face first into a wall. Lovelace pulled away with a wide grin and gazed at the other. "Face it, Flip. You're entire family is made of cowards: you, your doppelganger, your fuck buddy, even the fucking brat who you call a daughter. And just like the other guy, you'll never be able to-" He was cut off as Flippy grabbed him by the back of his head and slammed his face against the wall a second time. As if he was possessed, Flippy continued to bash the enemy's face into the wall, leaving a splatter of blood on the surface. He wanted to make sure Lovelace was completely dead so this would never happen again. He almost didn't notice something grab his leg in an attempt to pull him away, hardly hearing Ruby calling out to him until she practically screamed at him. "Daddy!"

Flippy snapped out of his trance and gazed at the bloodied mass of hair clutched in his grip. He slowly pulled his hand away and allowed the corpse to slide towards the floor. He looked down at the toddler's tear-filled eyes and pulled her close. "Come on. Let's go home." He said softly before leading her out of the room.

* * *

Flippy had Ruby and was making his way out of the headquarters after the fight had ended, and the green-haired veteran took various paths to make sure his plan would end like he wanted. He found that difficult with the toddler holding onto his leg like a koala, but he couldn't blame her for doing so. Despite her being completely traumatized, she would rather be with her father than stay in a building with hundreds of corpses lying around. The duo thought they were going to leave without any more bloodshed, but were proven wrong when their path was blocked by four organization members who surprisingly avoided death.

Ruby slid off of her father's leg only to see the ones blocking their path, and she hid behind him in response. She looked up and saw that her father was in no condition to fight any longer, seeing the exhausted look on his face. _Daddy looks tired. I don't think he wants to fight anymore. But if we stop then the scary men will hurt us,"_ She glanced over to see the knife tucked away under his jacket, and gazed at it curiously. _Will this help?_ With another glance towards the veteran, she quietly slipped the knife out of its sheath and held it close. _I wanna help Daddy._

"Oh look, the little brat actually thinks she can fight." Flippy jerked behind him to see the red-head slowly step forward, knife in hand, and began to walk towards the organization members. At that moment, Flippy thought that she was out of her mind and had proceeded to stop her, but he hesitated with the thought that they might try to do something to her if he interfered. "Ruby no." Flippy called out and was going to take out his gun but then he realized that it was lost in the fight with Lovelace. He cursed to himself as he watched the toddler stand a few inches away and gazing up at the four. _This is for Daddy._

"And what are you planning to do?" One of the members met her eye level with a smile as he petted her head gently before his head toppled to the floor, followed by a spew of blood that went in all directions. Everyone's eyes widened in shock as Ruby watched the corpse collapse before she turned to another organization member. He took a step back before the toddler hacked off a leg and causing him to fall on his side with a pained scream. The scream was cut short as she stabbed him between the eyes.

Flippy could only stare in complete shock as he watched the three-year old slaughter them one by one. Ruby began to step towards a third member before throwing the knife at him, which only bounced against the wall. Not being discouraged, Ruby charged forward and punched him in the crotch. The blow caused him to bend forward to where she was able to grab him by the hair and pull him down fast and far enough to break his neck. She watched him slump to the floor before turning to the last man, who began to step back with a gun pointed to her. "S-Stay back." He stammered with fear, but Ruby ignored him and plunged the knife into his torso. He fell forward in pain, and the red-head finished him off with another stab to the head.

Ruby blinked and looked around with wide eyes, staring at the bloodied corpses around her, and the blood on her clothes had her greatly confused and scared. She turned towards her father with tears as the knife slipped out of her hands. "Daddy?" Flippy was snapped out of his shock at the sound of her voice and slowly stepped over to her, pulling her into a tight hug and lifting her off of the ground. "It's okay. Nothing is gonna hurt you anymore."

* * *

Flippy opened the trunk door, causing everyone's heads to shoot up in surprise. "Dude, you look pretty fucked up," Handy commented as the veteran wrapped the toddler in his jacket and placed her near the seat, giving her a comforting look before closing the trunk door. The orange-haired male saw the red-head covered in blood and he grimaced at the sight. "Sheesh, couldn't you have kept the fight away from her?"

"I did." Flippy muttered in response as Sniffles quickly bandaged up his arm.

"You clearly didn't."

"Look I'll explain later," Flippy snapped at him with a growl. "For now, let's finish this and go home." Sniffles nodded in response, holding a small device in his hand and looking back at the facility. Without a moment of hesitation, he pressed a small red button, causing the building to be set in flames. The commotion had woken up the children, and they turned around to see what had happened. "Papa, what's going on?" Lilac began to tear up again as he hid in his father's arms. Handy soon began to shush him and tell him that everything was going to be fine while the other kids were huddled away from the door. "Let's get out of here." Flippy turned on the engine and began to make his way back to town, watching the burning building disappear through the trees as rain slowly began to pelt the windows.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 **I do not own Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media**

After half an hour on the road, Flippy and Sniffles switched places so the veteran could rest, and Sniffles took the wheel. Flippy leaned his head back and tried to muffle a pained moan as he held his mouth. The bluenette looked over with slight concern. "Are your teeth growing back?" The veteran could only nod and close his eyes so he could ignore the slight pain in his jaw. Meanwhile in the backseat, Handy was trying to get into contact with Petunia so he could tell her that everything was alright. Unfortunately, the connection was worse than he thought. He cursed under his breath and tried again, waiting for a few minutes until he heard a ring. A few seconds passed before it stopped, and he heard a familiar voice on the brink of tears on the other line. _"Handy, are you alright!? Where are you!? Oh please tell me Lilac is with you!"_

"Calm down calm down," Handy began to interrupt. "We're on our way back, and yes I have Lilac with me," He glanced down at the sleeping child in his lap. "Everything's okay now." He heard a relieved sigh from the other line, and Handy knew she was about to break down. "Listen, Petunia, I want you to call the others and tell them to wait for us at the conference hall. Can you do that?"

 _"I can do that, although I don't have Nutty's number."_

"I'm sure Flakes can give it to you." After a confirmation, Handy hung up the phone and slumped back in his seat with a loud sigh. "She was probably losing her mind while waiting for me."

"Knowing Nutty, he probably found that candy stash that I hid from him a year or so ago," Sniffles replied with a calm smile. "Wouldn't be surprised if he devoured it." The image of the green-haired candy lover biting his hands made him cringe somewhat, and he pressed his foot on the accelerator harder. Russell turned around to check on the kids in the trunk to see that they had gone back to sleep despite the earlier commotion. He gazed over at Umi and noticed the puffiness in her eyes as she curled up tighter under the blanket. He turned back around and leaned back, looking down to see that his hand was slowly former back to its original state. While there was pain, it was nothing compared to the heartache he was currently feeling.

* * *

By the time they had pulled up to the building, the remaining parents were already waiting outside and grew nervous when they saw Sniffles pull up. Once he got out of the car and closed the door behind him, he was tackled in a bear hug by a certain greenette and was attacked with kisses. The bluenette pulled him away by the waist and stroked his cheek. "See? I told you it would be fine." Nutty lowered his head slightly before pecking him on the lips again. Sniffles pulled him towards the trunk and lifted the door open. He gently shook Danny out of his sleep to wake him. "Danny, open your eyes," He whispered. "We're home now."

The eldest triplet moaned slightly and rose from the cocoon of blankets, rubbing an eye and gazing at his father before his eyes widened at the sight of Nutty. "Mama!" He crawled over his now-awakened siblings and grabbed onto the greenette's shirt. Once Sammy and Candy had realized what was going on, they joined their brother with the hug, and Nutty didn't hesitate to return it. All three of them were sobbing as they held onto their mother tightly.

After a moment, Flippy exited the car as well only to be greeted by his boyfriend and doppelganger. Flaky looked as though he was about to cry, and Fliqpy had his arms crossed. The veteran was about to speak until Flaky wrapped arms around his neck and kissed him hard. Flippy was slightly taken back, but cupped his cheeks in response and deepened the kiss while Flaky ran fingers in his hair. The greenette felt a tap on the shoulder and his other speak up. "Uhh I hate to interrupt you two, but the longer you two make out, the more time we waste in getting your daughter."

Flippy gave him the finger before pulling away and leading the two towards the trunk, ignoring the sobbing triplets and holding Ruby in his arms. Flaky had a smile on his face before noticing that the toddler was covered in blood. Flippy noticed the expression and lowered his head. "Yeah, there's a lot of explaining that needs to be done, but let's save that for later." Ruby nuzzled him before slightly opening her eyes and looking around. She stopped her gaze on Flaky and her eyes widened in shock. "Mommy?" Flippy set her on the ground and pulled off the jacket as he watched the tiny red-head hold onto her mother's leg with tears. Flaky picked her up and held her close and had almost started sobbing as Ruby turned to Fliqpy. "Daddy?" She turned around to see her father's lowered gaze, and then back to Fliqpy. "I have two daddies?"

"No sweetie. That's your Uncle Fliqpy." Ruby blinked a few times before reaching out to him. Fliqpy gave a concerned glance to both parents, before Flippy nodded in confirmation, and in a few seconds, the two were staring at each other with mixed feelings. Flippy and Flaky gave each a concerned gaze and held each other's hands.

Petunia rushed towards the car just as Handy got off of the seat with Lilac in his arms. The orange-haired male smiled at her appearance and gently shook the toddler to wake him up. Lilac sleepily moaned and slowly opened his eyes. "Are we home, Papa?"

"Almost. We just needed to see someone." Lilac turned towards the bluenette and his eyes were filled with tears at the sight. "Mama." Handy didn't hesitate to hand the child over to his lover, who had grabbed him and held him tightly. Lilac had started crying in her arms and clutched her shirt tighter. Petunia let the tears roll down her face as the other pulled both of them close. "It's good to be back." He muttered quietly.

Lumpy opened the door to see Russell half delirious from the loss of blood as he turned to the taller bluenette. "You don't look so good." He observed, looking down at the newly reformed hand that had ripped through the bandage. Russell shrugged off his comment and turned his head with closed eyes. "I just need some sleep."

"Yeah I got that," Lumpy replied before pulling the former pirate into his arms and held him. "That's why we're going home so you can rest. You've had a rough night."

"Right." Russell muttered before he was carried to the other car and strapped into the passenger seat before Lumpy went to get Umi. A few moments later, the sleeping toddler was in the backseat and the three were on their way home. Lumpy had a slight thought that things might be peaceful after this, but he knew that it wasn't over until he could somehow restore Umi's mental state. Judging by her silence and the state the former pirate was in, he could tell that it would be a while before she would be near Russell again. He released a sigh at the thought and continued to make his way home.

* * *

The next morning, Flippy had visited Sniffles so they could further discuss what went down in the Dick Squad's headquarters. Of course, he had brought the others with him so they could also get an explanation. When Flaky first heard what had happened, he almost didn't want to believe it, and Fliqpy had a feeling that he was the cause of it somehow. Sniffles had suggested that Ruby might have developed her own version of Fliqpy, which concerned the three greatly. Although it was a hypothesis, they didn't know unless it was proven true.

Sniffles lead the four of them into the lab, placing Ruby on the table as he rummaged through the cabinet. "So, are we doing this the same way we separated Fliqpy and I?"

"It's the only way we'll know for sure if there's another personality," Sniffles replied as he pushed bottles out of the way, spotting the gender chemical before shoving it to the side. "Aha here we go." He pulled out a box and stepped over to the group, opening it to reveal a pair of helmets connected to each other by a black wire. "If what we're thinking is true, this may be trouble."

"And if it's true, do we separate them?" Fliqpy asked.

"We should wait to see what it can do." Sniffles replied as he pulled one of the helmets out of the box. The response caused Flippy's eyebrow to twitch in annoyance. He crossed his arms with a glance. "You do realize that I saw this thing up close and personal, right? I know damn well what it can do. I don't want my daughter turning into a killing machine."

"But first we need to find out what it is." The bluenette placed the helmet on the toddler, who looked over at her family with a slightly frightened look. "Mommy?"

"Don't be scared, okay?" Flaky gave her a comforting hug and held her close. "Nothing is going to hurt you."

"Okay." Flaky pulled away as Sniffles placed the other helmet on top of him and turned it on. He gave a thumbs up at the three of them before sitting on the table next to the tiny red-head and holding her in his lap. "We'll be back soon." A few seconds later, both pairs of eyes had closed as the two traveled into the toddler's mind.

* * *

About an hour later, Ruby shifted in her position before slowly opening her eyes and looking around, Sniffles following suit a second later. The other three that were still in the room approached them with waiting glances. Sniffles sighed and removed the helmet. "I. . . couldn't find anything." He replied with disappointment, and Flaky's eyes widened in response. "S-So what does that mean?"

"I find that hard to believe," Fliqpy said with crossed arms. "There has to be something that causes her to kill. I mean it wasn't that hard to find me."

"Maybe it's because we have no idea what the hell we're looking for," Flippy replied with a lifted eyebrow. "Everyone in town knew about you, so of course it wouldn't have been hard to find you because we knew about you. With Ruby, we have no idea what this is. All we know is that it's something in her mind." While the three were discussing the matter, Flaky had removed the helmet from the toddler and held her in his arms. He gave her a warm smile, but it faded when she hid in his hold and clutched his shirt tightly. "What's wrong, sweetie?" He asked softly with a lowered gaze.

"Bad shadow people," Ruby muttered and nuzzled him in response. "T-They were gonna get me." The toddler had almost burst into tears and Flaky rubbed her back in response to soothe her. "The bad shadow people won't hurt you, okay? You're safe with Mommy and Daddy."

"R-Really?" Ruby lifted her head to gaze at her mother before looking over at her father and uncle talking with Sniffles. The tiny red-head nuzzled her mother once again and Flaky held her close. "I'll get some ice cream to cheer you up. Do you want that?" Ruby nodded in response and the red-head made his way towards the door, speaking up to the others as he did so. "We better go. There's no point in arguing. We'll figure it out another time."

"But Flakes-" Flaky cut him off with a hard gaze before speaking. "We're going." Flippy sighed, knowing that he couldn't argue with the red-head once his mind was made up, and proceeded to head out the door. "We'll talk about this later, Sniffles."

"Sure." Sniffles watched the doppelgangers leave, and he turned back to the helmets with concern. _There has to be something in Ruby's mind that's causing her to kill like this. I'm not going to believe that there's nothing there._ He placed the helmets back inside the box and placed the box back in the cabinet before closing it shut and returning to the main area of the house.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 **I do not own Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media**

Flaky had returned to Sniffles's lab that afternoon in order to clear his suspicions. He didn't want to believe that there was nothing in Ruby's mind that caused her to kill, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let this go until he found an answer. He lifted his head to look in the mirror to see the toddler with a lowered head and eyes shaded by her bangs. He couldn't blame her; after asking what was going on, Flippy had decided to tell her what really happened back in the facility. He felt there was no need to hide it from her considering she would have found out about it either way. Flaky never wanted her to hear that she had actually _killed_ someone, but he knew it was best that she leaned now than later. He soon started to wonder if the other kids will be taught by their parents about the mysteries surrounding their town.

"Flaky? What are you doing here?" The red-head gave him a stern glare as he approached the door. Sniffles allowed him inside the lab and closed the door behind him."I know that I said that we'll talk about this another time, but I'm not fully believing what you said earlier. I want to know what you really found in Ruby's mind."

"Like I said, I didn't find anything."

"And you expect me to believe that?" It was rare for Flaky to have a serious look on his face, and it was more rare to see him get angry. The red-head had his arms crossed and the toddler clinging onto his leg behind him. Sniffles released a sigh and placed a hand on his hip. "There was nothing in her mind that lead me to what I was looking for."

"Sniffles." The glare on his face seemed to harden at the response, and he clutched his jacket sleeve. The bluenette pushed up his glasses as he gazed at the other. "But you know, I'm not sure if we should take Flippy's word. For all we know, he could have made it up."

"He doesn't have a reason to lie."

"Does he?" Sniffles replied with a blank look. "Last night, I overheard Handy say that Flippy must have gotten the fight with Lovelace too close to her and that was why she was covered in blood. I expect that to be the truth than a three-year old being able to kill grown men without the blink of an eye."

"And you're not gonna think of the guess that she inherited that from Fliqpy?" Flaky retorted. "Or have you forgotten that they were still one person during the course of over half of my pregnancy? Surely there was a huge possibility that she had gotten something from him, or did you think I was too paranoid to think that was never going to happen?" Flaky was almost at the point of shouting if he didn't get an answer soon. He heard Ruby whimper slightly and stroked her hair to comfort her. The two parents stayed in silence for a few moments before Flaky felt a pair of arms let go of him and saw the toddler slowly going towards Sniffles as if she was possessed.

Both of them saw her stop two feet in front of the bluenette, and she had instantly punched him hard in the torso. Sniffles coughed and bent over, looking out from the corner of his eye to see the blank gaze that she wore. He barely had time to dodge her next attack, grabbing her by the hair and throwing her to the floor. "Ruby!" Sending another glare towards the bluenette, Flaky gently shook the toddler to see if she was alright. Ruby shifted slightly and lifted her head to look around. "Mommy, why am I on the floor?" She asked. The red-head lifted her off of the ground and into his arms, never severing eye contact from the bluenette. "Now do you believe him?"

Sniffles was speechless, but pushed up his glasses in response. "I can't doubt it now that I've got a glimpse of it, but Flaky, I swear I didn't see anything in her mind. Please believe me." Flaky lowered his gaze and held his daughter close. "I'll think about it. This is a lot to take in."

"I know. Just take your time." The red-head nodded before leaving the lab and getting back in the car. "Hey Mommy?" Flaky drew his attention towards the toddler. "Do you think there's something inside me that makes me hurt people?" Flaky was reluctant to response, but strapped the girl in her seat and pecked her on her forehead. "Don't worry about it, alright?" He made his way back into the driver's seat, and began to make his way home.

* * *

Flippy traced his finger along the rim of the glass before taking another sip of his drink. He harshly lowered his head with a slight groan and instantly regretted it after receiving a splitting headache. Whenever he was stressed, Flippy would usually spend his time either hiding in the woods or drinking in a bar to clear his head, and right now, he had no idea what to do. He took another sip and heard a familiar voice call him. He turned around to see Lumpy and Handy join his table and sit across from him. "I see that you two are stressed too."

"For good reason." Handy replied, chugging the shot he had and slamming the glass on the table. Flippy looked over to Lumpy and pointed to the orange-haired male. "Should he even be here? I mean, you know how much of a lightweight he is."

"He wanted to come." Lumpy replied with a shrug.

"Also, I thought you were laying off on the drinking."

"Well, technically I am, but. . ." Lumpy trailed off while holding the glass. "I'm trying not to drink too much in case it happens again." Flippy knew he was talking about the last time he was out drinking, and soon after he had assaulted Russell. He sighed in response before speaking once again. "So, how's it going with your family? Is Umi still avoiding Russell?"

"Like the fucking plague," The bluenette swirled his drink with a lowered gaze. "But I can't really blame her. If I was a toddler and I saw my mom covered in blood AND found out that she used to kill people, I would freak out too. How come Ruby isn't scared of you?"

"I'm not sure," Flippy replied with crossed arms. "I suppose she thinks it's better here than in a building filled with corpses."

"And now that we're on the subject," Handy interjected while waving another glass. "Did Sniffles find anything in her mind?" The veteran leaned back and took another swig of alcohol, releasing a belch and closing his eyes. "Sniffles claimed that he didn't see anything, but I refuse to believe it."

"So you probably did get the fight too close to her."

"I made sure he was well far away from her," Flippy replied with a slight glare. "What I'm saying is the truth." The orange-haired male smiled and finished his second drink before stretching his arms across the table and lowering his head with a small hiccup. The veteran brought the glass to his lips and chugging it. "While I don't fully believe it, I may have an idea on why Sniffles couldn't find anything," Lumpy finished the glass and folded his hands on the table. "Didn't you say that Ruby didn't remember what happened?"

"Yeah. What's your point?"

"Well maybe, since she was scared as shit, her fear might have clicked into her brain and she began to think about how she couldn't be scared. And the only way for her to do that was to get rid of what was scaring her."

"So what you're saying is that she killed them in a trance?" Handy asked as he reached for another shot glass. Flippy rolled his eyes and slid him the bottle and glass. Lumpy nodded and lowered his head. "That could be why she doesn't remember. As for whatever the hell is in her mind, it might only be her fear getting the best of her and not another personality."

"I think I get it," Flippy leaned back. "We were all thinking that Ruby had her own version of Fliqpy, but that's not the case. It's just her fear. But if that was true, then why didn't she kill me too?"

"Maybe she wanted to help you?" Handy replied with half-lidded eyes and a grin. "I mean, you looked pretty fucked up last night." He broke out in a fit of laughter, and Lumpy began to quiet him. "Then again," He continued with a lifted eyebrow. "There's also the Freud Theory, but that's probably another matter entirely." Flippy choked on the alcohol in response and Handy looked traumatized. The veteran took a few deep breaths and glared at the bluenette. "No fucking way," He said in a dead tone. "Why in the name of Mondo would you ever bring it up? And how do you even know about it anyway?"

"Unlike you two, I have a PhD in psychology, so how wouldn't I know about it?" Flippy couldn't help but agree as he took another swig. Lumpy grabbed Handy and began to pull him out of the seat. "Well I better get him home before it gets worse," Handy was slurring something under his breath in a fit of hiccups before he shouted some nonsense about aliens, flying cows, and the world being engulfed in flames because of a blue flying squirrel. The bluenette sighed and waved a good-bye. "Just be sure to think about what I said."

Surprisingly, Flippy had driven home with no trouble despite his half-drunken state and his habit of being a slightly bad driver at night. When he parked in the driveway, he noticed that Flaky was already home, and proceeded to head inside the house. Automatically, he made his way up to the bedroom and opened the door to see the red-head fast asleep, but was woken up by the sound of the door opening. Flippy slightly groaned and fell on top of him with a nuzzle. "I was worried something might have happened to you," Flaky whispered while wrapping arms around his neck. "Everything okay?"

"I'm fine." Flaky took a sniff and his eyelids lowered in response. "Are you drunk?" He asked in a blank tone.

"Little bit." The red-head rolled him over onto his side so he wouldn't suffocate him before getting out of bed with a light sigh. "Give me a minute. I need to get Ruby." He felt arms wrap around him and a whine from the other. "I want you to stay."

"Flippy." The greenette wrapped legs around his waist from behind to trap him and nuzzled his shoulder. "Stay." Flaky lowered his head with a sigh. Flippy tended to get clingy when he was drunk, so it was no wonder the bedroom was the first place he would go. He patted his hand gently with a smile. "I'll be back in a second. Promise." After a moment, Flippy released him, and he stood up so he could bring the toddler into their room.

* * *

Flippy had explained to Sniffles what Lumpy had told him the night before, leaving the bluenette with crossed arms and closed eyes. The other three who were in the room were also thinking about his theory. Ruby was half-asleep because it was so early in the morning, and was trying not to fall asleep on the table. "Hmm the trance part would make sense," Sniffles had spoken a few moments later. "So you're saying that there might not be another personality."

"It would explain why you didn't find anything," Flippy replied. "Because if she had another personality, we would have already seen it."

"Why don't we ask her what happened?" Fliqpy suggested while pointing towards the toddler. Ruby's head shot up with half-lidded eyes. Flaky stepped over to her and sat next to her. "Sweetie, can you tell us everything that happened the night Daddy saved you?" The tiny red-head was quiet for a moment as she lowered her hands into her lap before she spoke. "Well, after Daddy had hurt the mean man, we were gonna go back home, and then more bad guys showed up. I-I wanted to help Daddy because he looked really tired. I don't know what's after that, but I was covered with blood." The toddler lowered her head and curled up into a tight ball. Flippy crossed his arms and turned to the bluenette. "Well? Still think there's another personality?"

"If it was the same situation of me and Flip, then she would already know about her other self." Fliqpy stated. Sniffles could help but nod in response and muttered under his breath about how Lumpy could have figured it out. Flippy released a sigh and turned towards the toddler. "Well, if we're going to be seeing this more often, we need to give it a name so we know when Ruby flips out."

"How about _Psycho_?" His doppelganger suggested with a smile. The other parents glanced at him as though he was out of his mind. Sniffles pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, and Flaky had a look of disbelief. "No!" Flippy shouted with discomfort with a slight glare at his other. Fliqpy shrugged in response. "Why not? That's technically what it is."

"If that's the case, why don't we call you _Hypocrite_?" The other replied with a blank tone.

"Knock it off, you two," Sniffles got between them. "We have to figure out what we're going to do with this."

"Can't we just leave it be?" Flaky spoke up and bringing the attention to him. "I-I mean, since we now know it's not another personality and only her fear, all we have to do is keep an eye on her, right?"

"That wouldn't be hard to do," Sniffles replied. "I mean, if she's not with you, she's usually with Umi, and I don't think she'll be scared of she was with her." Flippy had small thoughts of the Freud Theory Lumpy had mentioned the night before, but he decided not to say anything. He sighed and placed a hand on his hip. "Alright. Since there's nothing we can do, I suppose this mystery is solved." The others nodded in response as the red-head helped the toddler place her feet on the floor. "If you three are going to stay here and bicker, I might as well take her home."

"Don't leave me with these two." Flippy whined while pointing to his doppelganger and Sniffles, who looked personally offended. "Why not? I'm a great guy to be with." Fliqpy replied with a smile.

"First of all, you kill people," Flippy jabbed a finger into his chest before turning to Sniffles. "Second, half the time you fuck up everything you touch. The other half of the time you fuck up everything you look at."

"And that's supposed to mean something?" The bluenette asked with crossed arms and a lifted eyebrow.

"Knowing you, yes." The greenette had a blank look as he grabbed Flaky and his daughter and pulled them out of the lab. "Well, now that this is over, I can finally relax," Fliqpy sighed while placing his hands behind his head. "I can actually get some sleep without worrying for those two."

"So you do care." The doppelganger turned towards the bluenette with a straight face. He turned back to the door and lowered his head. "Sure, if you wanna call it that." He shrugged and left the lab and Sniffles made his way back to the main area of the house, where he saw the rest of his family in the living room watching TV. Nutty spotted him and patted the seat next to him, signaling for him to join them. The bluenette ran a hand through his hair as he stepped over the triplets and sat next to him and wrapping an arm around him. "Everything okay?" The candy lover asked him with a lifted chin. Sniffles pecked his forehead with a smile. "It's fine." He tried to push the other family out of his head and focus on the one in front of him, wanting to find a way on how to help the children with their minds.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 **I do not own Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media**

When Lumpy arrived home, he made sure that the two bluenettes had eaten before they went to sleep. Unsurprisingly, the toddler had decided to sleep in her room because of her fear for the former pirate. Lumpy couldn't help but feel bad for the two of them and wanted to find a way to bring their family back together. After tucking Umi in bed, he made his way down the hall so he could join Russell. He opened the door to see the other curled up under the covers, and he made his way over to pull him close. "Feel better?" His only response was a nuzzle, which indicated that he didn't want to talk at the moment. Lumpy nodded and kissed the top of his head before closing his eyes.

The next day, the first thing that came to Lumpy's mind was to think of a way to have Umi not be scared of her mother. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a good idea without there being a consequence. He ran a hand through his hair and saw the toddler silently eating her lunch with a lowered gaze. He was tempted to stroke her hair and tell her that everything would be alright, but that would risk her shutting him out as well. He released the breath he was holding in before speaking up. "Do you like it?" A nod was his only response and doubt began to swell in his chest. Just one word would be enough for him but it looked as though Umi wasn't going to talk for a while. Lumpy then decided to go with his original plan of soothing her. "Umi, nothing is going to happen to you. You're safe here," Umi lifted her head to glanced at him, and he smiled at the reaction. "Mama and I will keep you safe."

At the mention of Russell, the toddler jumped from her chair and jumped into his lap as though to hide. She held onto her father tightly as she whimpered. "Scary Mama." She shook in his arms before starting to cry at the memory. Lumpy rubbed her back and tried to shush her before lifting his head to see Russell at the doorway. "Russell." The former pirate turned on his heel and made way for the front door. "Russell!"

"What the FUCK do you want!?" Russell screeched in irritation and turned around, causing Umi to flinch at the profanity. "Why even bother when she won't come near me!?"

"She just needs time," Lumpy replied while placing the child on the chair and stepping over towards him. "She doesn't understand what's going on."

"You're right, she doesn't," Russell glared with curled fists. "She's fucking four years old, Lumpy. She's not gonna understand even if we explain it to her."

"You know she's smarter than that," The taller bluenette cupped his cheek gently with a concerned gaze. "I promise she'll understand. She just needs time to take all of this in, okay?" Russell took a moment before nodding slightly and pulling away. "I'm going for a walk."

"Just be back before dark." The former pirate agreed before pecking him on the lips and heading out of the apartment.

* * *

Russell stepped down the sidewalk with a lowered head and hands in his pockets. He mentally shouted at himself for lashing out at his husband. He knew that yelling wasn't going to get anything for him except his daughter fearing him more. The former pirate decided that he wasn't going to be near her until her fear was gone.

Before he knew it, he stepped on a soft surface, and lifted his head to see himself on the beach. He crouched down to draw random patterns in the sand with a calm gaze. "This is where we met, wasn't it?" He asked softly. "All of those years ago, I was minding my own business, and then you came to talk to me. That was the best conversation of my life. Before I knew it, I was sailing the seas, and I never saw you again unless I came to visit. It was funny to see you on the beach every time. I didn't mind it though; it just showed that you missed me," He slowly pulled off his boots and socks before rolling up his pants. He took in a few breaths before stepping in the water and watching his feet disappear underneath the small waves. "And then we met once again when I washed up along the shore. That was so long ago," He glanced at the wedding ring on his finger and gently kissed it. "But look where we are now."

"How did I know I'd find you here?"

Russell turned around to see Handy smiling at him from a distance. He began to walk forward and stopped at the shoreline. "Do you miss it? The ocean I mean."

"It's not that," The former pirate shook his head. "This is the only place where I can clear my head. I just feel relaxed here."

"You look relaxed." Russell nodded as Handy joined his side, not caring about his pants or shoes getting wet. The two stood for a moment before the bluenette spoke. "So, why are you here? I thought you wanted to catch up with your son."

"I decided to give him time with Petunia," The other replied while placing his hands in his pockets. "He's been all over her ever since we returned, so I figured that I would let them have some alone time."

"That makes sense. I think." Handy shrugged with a calm smile before looking out towards the horizon. "I'm just glad he's back. Oh, and I'm sorry what's going on with your family." The former pirate lowered his head in response and gave a frown. Handy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder with a gaze. "I don't think you should be worried. She'll understand eventually."

"I hope so." Russell replied sadly and averted his gaze. Handy began to think for a moment, but frowned when he couldn't think of anything to cheer up his friend. A smile grew on his face as he grabbed the other to pull him out of the water, grabbing his boots and socks in the process, and leading him to his car. "Come on. I'll cheer you up with some food."

That lunch date also included a two-hour movie along with a walk to Mondo knows where. Russell had no idea where this was going, but he knew that he wanted to be home when he saw the sun beginning to set. He turned to the orange-haired male walking a few feet in front of him before speaking up. "Handy, you know I'm at a curfew."

"I figured," Handy replied. "But, I wanted to talk to you about something, and it's been bugging me for a while," He turned to the former pirate with a sigh. "Have you ever had the feeling that you weren't supposed to be who you are? I mean, this town and all of the deaths that happen. It feels nostalgic to me, like I've experienced this before," Russell lowered his head before the other continued to speak. "Like there are times in my dreams where I'm small, and then I look in the mirror to see that I'm a beaver. I don't know if it's me going crazy, but sometimes in those dreams, when I die, they're the exact same deaths we witness every now and then. It's so freaky."

"I think I get it," The former pirate replied with a lowered gaze. "I mean, I dream the same thing, only I freak out because I don't have legs or a hand. And when I wake up, I have my old pirate accent. Lumpy says that he dreams of being a moose, so I know this isn't just a coincidence."

"The same is happening with Petunia. Just what the hell is going on?" Russell shook his head in response and looked back at the other. "I'll take you home. You should probably get some more rest after last night."

"I'd like that."

It didn't take long for Russell to be driven home, although the sun had already set when they arrived. Lumpy thanked Handy for the lift before closing the door. He followed the bluenette into the living room, watching Russell fall on the couch with a loud sigh. Lumpy sat next to him and allowed him to lean in his shoulder. "You really shouldn't be out for too long," He muttered. "You're still recovering from your fight and you still look a bit pale."

"I'm fine," Russell replied with a closed eye as he nuzzled closer. "I just need sleep."

"And food." The bluenette wrapped arms around Lumpy's neck and swung his legs over, signaling that he wanted to be picked up. Lumpy sighed and lifted him up bridal style as he stood up. "Jeez, you can be such a child sometimes."

"You complaining?" Lumpy shook his head and kissed the other gently. "It's cute when you act like this." Russell pouted with a slight glare, muttering that he wasn't cute. The taller bluenette smiled before looking over to see Umi at the bottom of the stairs. "What's wrong? Are you hungry?" Umi nodded with a lowered gaze. "Alright, just let me take your mother to bed first." As they approached the stairs, Russell avoided eye contact with the toddler because he knew she didn't want to be around him. Lumpy carried him up the stairs and into their room before gently setting him on the bed. The taller bluenette barely had a chance to let go of the other before Russell grabbed him by the shirt and slammed their lips together. Lumpy cupped his cheeks and pulled away. "I can't stay or she'll think I was eaten by a sea monster," Russell couldn't help but glare at the comment, and the bluenette pecked his nose as an apology. "I'll be back later. Promise." He pulled away from the other and began to make his way back to the toddler.

About a half hour later, he sat across from the girl as she ate her dinner. He wanted to bring up the situation with Russell, but he also didn't want to make her uncomfortable. He breathed out a sigh and was going to speak until she said something for him. "Why does Mama kill people?" Lumpy was a bit taken back by the question, but answered with a calm voice. "He doesn't kill people anymore."

"Yes he does!" The bluenette saw tears and was going to comfort her until she pushed him away. "I saw him! He had blood on him and looked scary! Then he killed the evil man!" Lumpy pulled her out of the chair and held her close to calm her down. "How can you love Mama when you know he kills people?" He stroked her hair as she cried in his hold before responding. "It doesn't matter that he killed people. What matters is that I don't judge him for it," He glanced down at the toddler. "Umi, do you still love Mama?"

"Huh?" She peered up with a slightly confused gaze. "I mean, you're still calling him Mama, so surely you still see him as a parent, right?" Umi lowered her head and clutched his shirt. "I. . . dunno." Lumpy proceeded to take her upstairs into her room. As he did, Umi glanced over at her parents' room and shrouded away in fear of the person inside. The two remained silent on the trip except for the exchanges of goodnight once the toddler was tucked into bed. The bluenette kissed her cheek before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

 **I do not own Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media**

After a meal, Russell left their house the next morning, which left Lumpy at a loss on what to do. Umi was still hiding in her room and wouldn't come out unless it involved food or the bathroom. Often, there were times where she would peek into the hall before she stepped towards the stairs, only reaching the top before running back to her room when she heard footsteps, even if it wasn't Russell. Lumpy couldn't help but sigh at her reaction and ran a hand through his hair. Leaving everything to work itself out was no longer going to work, and so he decided to step in and take care of the situation himself.

After seeing his daughter scurry back to her room later that day, Lumpy proceeded to head after her to make sure the matter is resolved. He released a breath before slowly opening the door and seeing the toddler hide behind her bed. She peeked up and relaxed when she saw her father at the doorway. "Daddy." She slowly approached him as he closed the door behind her and sat on the bed. "Umi, we need to talk."

"Did I do something bad?" Lumpy shook his head as he hoisted her onto his lap. "No, this is about Mama." Umi lowered her head and held onto his shirt in response and started to whimper. The taller bluenette petted her with closed eyes. "Listen to me, Umi. I know Mama is scary, but he only gets scary when he wants to protect someone." The four-year old lifted her head, the fear in her eyes slightly fading into confusion. "What does protect mean?"

"It means not letting someone you love get hurt," Lumpy replied softly. "And that's what Mama did. He was trying to protect you from the bad guys."

"H-He was?" Umi felt more confused as she was told this as she listened. "There's no need to be scared of him. Yes, he does kill people, but that was a long time ago. He doesn't do that anymore unless it's necessary."

"Mama won't hurt me, right?"

"Of course not," Lumpy replied with a hug. "When you were taken, he was so upset, and he wanted to make sure that you were safe before coming home. He would rather get hurt than see you be hurt yourself." Umi returned the hug with her own and nuzzled into his shoulder. She stayed quiet for a moment, and Lumpy thought she was trying to take in the entire situation. "Same with Daddy too?"

"Yep," Lumpy pulled her away and she looked up at him with uncertainty. "Now, I want you to think about this, but I hope you'll want to be with him soon. He misses you, Umi." He set her on the floor before making his way back into the living room to wait for his husband to return.

* * *

Russell picked at his food with a bored gaze and he shoved it to another corner of his plate. He sighed and leaned back in the chair, setting the fork on the napkin in front of him and closing his eye. He had been staring at the plate for about a good half hour, and his food was barely touched. Russell started to not feel hungry and pushed it away with a sigh.

"Are you gonna eat that?" He turned to see Cuddles looking over him with his hands innocently behind his back and a smile. Russell gave a light smirk and pushed the plate towards him as the blonde sat across the table. Cuddles's smile grew as he snatched up the fork and dug in. The bluenette couldn't help but smile at him as he rested his elbow against the table. "Watch yourself, little rabbit. A wolf might eat you if you keep that up."

"Huh!?" The blonde's eyes widened in fear at the mention of wolves, and he pouted at the other. "Man, don't joke like that. You know I'm scared of wolves."

"Couldn't miss the opportunity." Russell responded with a playful glint in his eye.

"By the way," Cuddles swallowed the last bit of food before continuing. "How are things with your daughter?" Russell couldn't help but frown in response as he folded his hands together. "I'm working on it." He muttered while lowering his head. Cuddles tilted his head to the side with a lifted eyebrow before resting his head in the palm of his hand. He glanced out of the window with half-lidded eyes before turning his gaze back to the other with a gentle smile. "It'll be fine. I promise."

"That's what everyone's telling me."

"And you should believe it," Cuddles reached over and took a hand in his own. "Back when Giggles and I. . . . broke up, I felt so lost because I didn't know what to do after finding out that she cheated on me. Everyone kept telling me that I was gonna find someone else eventually, and I doubted it for the longest time. Then Toothy came along and taught me how to love again. Point is," His grip tightened and had a comforting gaze. "Don't lose hope like I did." Russell slightly averted his gaze with a frown as they both pulled away. After a moment, Cuddles stood with a smile as he began to step away. "Well, I better go. Toothy is taking me to see a movie." The blonde proceeded to walk away until Russell pulled on one of the rabbit ears on his hoodie. Cuddles turned around with a lifted eyebrow as Russell lifted his head slightly. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up."

Cuddles grinned and gave a peace sign. "That's what friends are for, dude." The blonde stepped out the front door and into the city, and Russell decided that it was time for him to leave as well. He slowly stood up, leaving the amount on the table before walking out. He didn't have a clue as to where he was going, but he didn't care as long as he was out of the house for a while longer.

He ended up in the woods leading to another part of town before heading home. He wondered how Lumpy dealt with being at home by himself over the past few days. His eyes lowered when he thought of the toddler that was also in the building. He shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I can't think about it right now," He muttered to himself before stopping in his tracks. "But, how can I when I know I can never be near her again? It's painful to even imagine this going on even when she's older. Though, she might grow out of it, but how long will that be? It's scary."

Fifteen minutes later, he unlocked the door to his home and stepped inside, hearing the TV from the living room. He followed the sound to see his husband on the couch with his eyes closed and his head tilted backwards. Russell quietly stepped over and leaned over him to place a gentle kiss on the lips. The kiss lingered for a moment before he pulled away only to be snagged by the front of his shirt and the one underneath him raised himself for another kiss. The two pulled away and Lumpy kissed his nose. "I was wondering when you'd be home."

"Well I'm here now." Russell muttered before climbing over the couch and sitting next to him. He leaned on the other's shoulder with a light sigh and closed his eye. Lumpy leaned on him in return and held his hand gently. "It's been boring without you, you know," Lumpy spoke softly. "I didn't know what to do so I ended up cleaning the house."

"That explains why everything looks so neat," Russell glanced around and stopped his gaze at the stairs. "How is she doing, by the way?" Lumpy lifted his head in response before speaking. "She was wrapped up in her coloring books last time I checked on her."

"I see." Russell lowered his head and Lumpy's grip around his hand tightened. The former pirate stood up a moment later and broke away. "Russell-"

"It's frustrating, isn't it?" The other spoke up with clenched fists. "Seeing this family come apart. Don't lie and say that this isn't bothering you." Lumpy couldn't help but stare before he averted his gaze with concern. It would be a lie to say the situation was nothing, but he knew saying that alone would make the bluenette more upset than he was. He breathed out a sigh and turned his gaze back. "This is a problem, but. . . I know everything will be alright."

"Everyone's been saying this," Russell replied with irritation. "And to be honest, it's getting on my nerves. It's like they can't think of anything else to say to me. What I don't get is how Ruby could suck up to Flippy so quickly despite him being in the same state I was, and Umi is scared shitless of me. What did Flippy do that didn't make Ruby hate him!?"

"He didn't do anything." Lumpy replied in a soft tone.

"So you expect me to believe that he magically got her to not hate him!?" Russell's voice was raised once again, and tears were visibly in his eye. "She hates me Lumpy. I know she does."

"She doesn't hate you." Lumpy stood and proceeded to pull him close, but Russell rejected the attempt. "Oh shut up I know you've noticed it too! I'm not that fucking stupid!" Russell hid his face from the other as he began to cry. "I wish I never got pregnant. I wish I never settled on land, and I wish you never talked to me in the first place!" The only response to the last outburst was silence. The former pirate lifted his head only for his gaze to widen at the bluenette's heartbroken face, noticing the forming tears in his eyes. "Russell." Russell stepped back before running out through the front door and out of sight. "Russell!"

Lumpy feared that he might do something reckless and was about to go after him until someone called his name. "Daddy?" He turned around to see Umi at the bottom of the stairs holding one of her stuffed animals with a scared glance. "Why was there shouting? Why are you sad? Where's Mama?" Lumpy's gaze darted back and forth from the toddler to the door, unsure of which he should choose. He groaned and angrily ruffled his hair. Umi didn't know what was going on, but she walked over to her father and hugged his leg, hoping that it would be enough to comfort him.

* * *

Russell had finally collapsed from exhaustion on the sandy beach he had arrived on. Tears were rolling down his face freely and dripping onto the sand while his mind was filled with so many thoughts he couldn't think straight. He pulled his hood over his face and glanced down at the jacket he was wearing. Lumpy had gotten it for him the year before for their anniversary, and Lumpy had apologized for getting a jacket that was two sizes bigger than him. The former pirate didn't mind because it was comfortable either way.

The mere memory had Russell sobbing in the sleeves and curling up into a ball, knowing that he possibly screwed up whatever ties the family still had. "It's all my fault. I've lost my daughter's trust and I had the nerve to say that to him." His cries were muffled through the jacket, but he could care less. He heard the sound of crashing waves and lifted his tear-filled gaze towards the ocean. Russell slowly stood up without averting his gaze, and took a step forward. "That's right. It's my fault because I'm such an incompetent parent and husband. What the hell was I thinking that night? What made me think that she wouldn't be scared of me?" He continued to speak as he stepped into the water until his torso was above the surface. "Lumpy probably blames me too; he just doesn't want to say it to my face, which proves that I'm more of a burden to them. They'd be better off without me to hold them back," He glanced at the ring he wore and kissed it gently. "I love you, you know? I love you so much. But, this is best for you and Umi." After another breath, Russell let himself fall and the ocean soon engulfed him. He watched as the light from the sun seemed to drift farther and farther away as he sunk. He closed his eye and leaned back. _I know this will hurt you both, but you don't have to worry. I'll be okay._

Russell soon heard something crash into the water, and a hand grabbed him by the front of his shirt before pulling him up. He was yanked up to the surface and he coughed for air before opening his eyes to see that he was in a familiar pair of arms. He was carried from the waves to the sand and he was set down gently. He barely managed to sit up before Lumpy harshly slapped him across the face. Russell held the red mark on his cheek and turned to see Lumpy glare at him with tears in his eyes. "You have got to be the dumbest idiot I've ever laid eyes upon!" He grabbed the front of his shirt again and yanked him forward. "What the HELL were you thinking!? Do you have any idea what would have happened if you pulled that off!? We would never see you again. _I_ would never see you again," His hands trailed upwards to cup Russell's cheeks. "I know that it's hard to live with a daughter who's scared of you. That's why I told Umi what was going on. When you ran out, she thought you were never coming back. You should have seen her, crying her eyes out because she was so scared of losing you."

Russell stayed silent as Lumpy pulled him into a tight hug as tears finally rolled down his cheeks. "Don't you ever do this again, or I will fucking kill you myself. And you know damn well I don't want to do that, so don't force me." Russell wrapped arms around his neck and pulled himself closer with tears. "I-I thought you were mad because of what I said."

"Dumbass, I know you didn't mean it." Russell nuzzled his shoulder before lifting his head so their lips slightly touched. He hesitated to give him a kiss, although Lumpy was the one who tilted his head up so the kiss could connect. Before he knew it, Russell had found himself on his back with the bluenette above him still kissing him. Russell thread fingers into the other's hair as the kiss deepened. One of Lumpy's hands snuck under the other's shirt and pushed against his back so the two were pressed against each other while the other snuck into the back of his pants. Russell released a muffled moan as he felt a finger trace circles around his hole before pulling away with a light blush. "Not here."

"Afraid we'll be seen?"

"That, and it's not comfortable doing it on sand." Lumpy pushed himself off of the former pirate and took his hand gently before leading him to the car. 'Where are you suggesting then?"

"Home, as long as Umi isn't able to see us." The taller of the two shrugged and stepped into the car before turning it on with a slight smile. "Whatever you say."

* * *

Lumpy lead him towards the living room where the toddler waited for them. She turned around in her seat and formed tears when she saw her mother. She instantly jumped off of the couch and ran towards him. "Mama!" She grabbed onto his leg tightly and nuzzled it. "Don't go, Mama!"

"Umi."

"I don't want Mama to go!" Russell couldn't help but sigh before slowly lifting her off of the ground and into his arms. "Mama isn't going anywhere, okay? I'll be here with you and Daddy." Umi smiled in response before hugging him again. She was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "Mama won't hurt me, right?"

"I would never." The former pirate held her close and kissed her cheek. He turned back to his husband, who wore a comforting smile on his face before he took the toddler in his arms. Umi pouted and stretched her arms out towards Russell. "I wanna be with Mama." The couple glanced at each other with a shrug before Umi was given back to the other. "I thought you were scared of me."

"I-I am, but you won't hurt me, so it's okay." Russell sat her on the couch before stretching. "We better shower before we get sick in these clothes. Umi, promise to wait for us here?" After a nod from the toddler, Russell nudged the other bluenette with a wink and a lustful smirk. "You should be so damn grateful we have a soundproof bathroom." He whispered with a growl before heading upstairs. Lumpy blushed lightly as those last few words were sent straight to his groin. After pecking a kiss on the girl's forehead, he followed his husband and awaited what would transpire in the next hour.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 **I do not own Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media**

Russell was thrown against the wall as his legs wrapped tightly around the other's waist, their kisses becoming more desperate each time their lips touched. Lumpy's thrusts became more frantic and lost rhythm quickly. Water ran their bodies and dripped to the floor, although either of them could care less. Semen was already rolling down Russell's thighs and was smeared on his stomach, but he was far from done with his husband.

Lumpy pulled out and turned the other around so he faced the wall and spread his ass wide before thrusting back in. The former pirate moaned louder and lowered his head with heavy pants, grateful for their daughter not being able to hear them. He could barely think straight with his prostate begin struck over and over while Lumpy's kisses peppered his back. "You look like you won't last longer." He heard the taller bluenette whisper in his ear seductively as he reached down to stroke the other's erection. Russell moaned and tried to find a grip on the wall to keep himself from falling, although Lumpy had an arm wrapped around his waist to help him up.

It didn't take long for the two to orgasm and add more semen onto the floor. Lumpy pulled out and allowed the other to collapse. He pulled the bluenette in his arms and carried him out of the shower and sat him on a stool. "Here, I'll clean you up." Russell nodded while running a hand through his hair out of exhaustion as his husband held a wet cloth. He sighed and closed his eyes, tilting his head to the side as the older kissed his cheek and wiped him down. A moment later, Lumpy pulled a shirt over his head followed by an over-sized jacket. Russell stood up to pull on a pair of boxers and shorts while watching the other dress in a shirt and pants. The smaller bluenette pulled on his eye patch before giving the other a final kiss before exiting the bathroom and the two headed back downstairs.

Umi hugged her mother's leg with a smile as they stepped over to sit on the couch. She crawled into his lap to peer up at him before reaching to grab the TV remote. "Anything in particular you want to watch?" The toddler held the remote as she lowered her head to think. Russell and Lumpy glanced at each other and shrugged as she looked up once again. "I wanna watch Netflix."

"Yeah I knew you'd say that," Lumpy stood up and headed towards the kitchen. "I'll grab some snacks."

"Pizza rolls!" Umi called out to him loudly, and he couldn't help but chuckle as he stepped away. The two waited until the bluenette came back with a plate and placed it on the table in front of them. The three spent the rest of the night watching movies, or until the toddler fell asleep halfway through, and Lumpy leaned forward to turn off the TV. Russell held the girl in his arms and carried her upstairs towards their bedroom. "You know she'll be upset if she wasn't with us."

"I didn't say anything."

"No, but I have a feeling you're not satisfied," Russell leaned in with a smirk and pecked his nose. "Keep this up and you'll give her a younger sibling."

"I don't hear you complaining." Lumpy lifted an eyebrow with a smile and a hand on his hip. The former pirate turned on his heel and began to make his way towards the stairs. "I don't need another one running around. Plus we're always prepared to make sure I don't get pregnant again." Lumpy shrugged and followed him to their bedroom, where the two slowly crawled into bed and tucked the toddler between them. Lumpy fell back onto the pillow and stared at the ceiling with a blank look. "I'm thinking about helping the kids with their minds because of everything that happened."

"How will you do that?"

"I swear, everyone forgets I have a PhD." Lumpy sighed in response with closed eyes. Russell poked his cheek so the other could glance at him with a lifted eyebrow. The former pirate smiled and closed his eyes. "Alright. You do what you do." Lumpy smiled and pecked his cheek before the two pulled each other close to the toddler and fell asleep.

* * *

Lumpy sat in the clearing across from the toddlers who glanced at their surroundings, confused about why they were in the forest in the first place. When he called the parents the day before, he had received different reactions: The twins said something about Lumpy plotting to kidnap their children when they heard the place they were going to be, Sniffles almost yelled at him and thought he was dumber than he looked, which Lumpy knew it was the other way around, and while Handy was reluctant to the idea, he trusted Lumpy to watch Lilac.

"U-Uh Mr. Lumpy, why are we here?" Candy asked with a slight stammer as she scooted next to her siblings. Zack and Jack nodded to each other before turning towards the adult. "Are you here to kidnap us?" Jack asked with a tilted head.

"Why in God's name would I want to kidnap you?"

"You're gonna kill us then." At Zack's response, Lumpy stared at the twins in disbelief and shook his head. Lilac, being as confused as everyone else, broke into tears at the outburst and sobbed. "I don't wanna die! I want my Mama!" He wailed loudly, and Lumpy had to hold him to calm him down. "Don't cry, okay? If you're loud enough, the bears might hear you."

"Bears!?" All of the children had wide eyes at the response, and they jerked their heads around for any kind of movement. Lumpy sighed with a nod. "That's why we have to make sure to be quiet," After a moment, he set the tiny violette back onto the ground before stepping towards his seat. He pulled out a small stack of papers and turned back to the toddlers. "Now, I'm going to show you a picture, and I want you to tell me what you see." He showed them the first picture, and got answers that he half-expected.

"A blob."

"A fluffy thing."

"A cloud."

"A magic portal."

"Sweets."

"A bag of money." Everyone glanced over at the twins with lifted eyebrows, and the adult couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose and shake his head. _That's their children alright._ He turned back to the others with another picture, and before he said anything, Umi spoke up with a curious gaze. "Where's Ruby?"

"Ruby's with her daddy because she has it worse than you." Umi lowered her head in disappointment and brought her knees closer to her. Lumpy could tell that she was bothered by the lack of the toddler's presence, and it brought him back to what he told Flippy at the bar about the Freud Theory. He shook his head at the thought and held up the second picture. "Now then, let's get this over with."

* * *

"Fliqpy I swear if you try anything-"

"I don't kill kids dude. You know this."

"I also know that this is a bad idea."

Fliqpy scoffed and rolled his eyes as he held the tiny red-head in his lap. The three of them were seated in the backyard of his home, and he was given a slight glare from his doppelganger. Flaky came along with the intent of breaking up a possible fight along with wanting to know how Fliqpy was going to help their daughter. Meanwhile Ruby was confused as to what was going on. Flippy sighed and placed a hand on his hip. "Alright. Give it a shot." Fliqpy smiled and gazed at the red-head toddler. "Uh-" She was cut off as the man above her covered her eyes with his hands. "Now Ruby," He started with a soft tone that the parents never knew he had. "I want you to imagine something. Can you do that?"

"Uh s-sure." The veteran looked back at his doppelganger, signaling for he and Flaky to keep quiet. Flippy didn't know what he was planning, but nodded and held his tongue. Fliqpy turned back to the toddler. "Now, imagine you're in a dark room, and Mommy and Daddy are being hurt by an evil man," He felt the girl tense up and whimper as he continued. "Mommy and Daddy are in trouble, so what do you do?"

"I-" He felt something wet on his hand and looked down to see the girl in tears. Flaky had reached out to comfort her while Flippy was glaring at him. "I want to help Mommy and Daddy. They need help." She trailed off and became silent and the three adults looked at her with concern. Cautiously, Fliqpy removed his hands and Flippy's eyes widened to see that the toddler was in a daze with tears rolling down her cheeks. She gazed around and lifted herself from Fliqpy's lap and stepped forward. "Ru-"

"Shut it." Fliqpy cut him off with a stern glare as Ruby turned towards her mother and stepped forward. Flaky's fear grew as the toddler stopped in front of him, reaching out a tiny hand to touch his cheek. The red-head almost thought there was nothing to fear before hearing a shout from Flippy and a sharp pain in his shoulder. Flaky hunched over while holding an injured shoulder, his gaze lifting to see Ruby hovering over him with a knife clutched in her hands. "Fucking shit!" Fliqpy shouted as he realized that his knife was missing, and the two darted over, but the knife was already lodged in Flaky's throat, and he slumped to the floor with a small pool of blood. Flippy pulled the toddler into his arms and threw the knife somewhere else in the yard while Fliqpy turned the body onto his back to see what other injuries he might have missed.

Ruby blinked and lowered her head to see her hands and clothes covered in blood before turning to her mother with wide eyes. "Mommy? Mommy!" She reached out to the red-head with tears, but Flippy held her back tightly and hid her gaze. Fliqpy released a sigh before turning to the pair. "Let's get him out of here before the worst happens." He took off his jacket and tried his best to wrap it around the two wounds before picking up the red-head bridal style and heading for his car with Flippy following suit holding a sobbing toddler.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

 **I do not own Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media**

Flippy and Fliqpy quietly sat outside the hospital room as they waited for Flaky to recover from his sudden death. Ruby was hiding in her fathers arms after her sobs were reduced to sniffles and she stayed silent. Flippy rubbed her back gently with a soft gaze and turned to his other half, who kept his eyes on the floor and appeared to be deep in thought with his hands folded. The toddler's grip around Flippy's neck tightened as she spoke quietly. "Daddy, am I a bad girl?"

"What made you think that?" Flippy set the girl in his lap, which revealed puffy eyes and red cheeks as she lowered her gaze. She sniffed again with tears. "Because I hurt Mommy, and I wouldn't hurt Mommy if I was a good girl."

"Don't say that," Flippy soothed before kissing the top of her head and pulling her close. "You didn't mean to hurt him. And just because you did doesn't make you a bad girl."

"Yeah it does! Only bad girls hurt their mommies!" The red-head almost broke into sobs as she spoke, and Flippy didn't know what words would convince her. He held her tightly with a lowered head as she cried, and Fliqpy surprisingly patted her head for comfort.

The door opened and the two looked up to see Flaky exit the room with a lowered head and a quiet sigh. He spotted the two before gazing at the toddler, crouching down to meet her eye level. "Ruby, it's alright. There's no need to be scared, okay?" He reached out to pull the toddler in his arms and held her gently.

"I think she's more worried about turning bad than hurting you." Flaky closed his eyes at Fliqpy's response and heard the tiny red-head mutter that she wanted to be a good girl.

"So, should we take her to Lumpy?"

"I think that's the only option." Flippy sighed and took the red-head from his lover and headed towards the front doors of the hospital, the two of them following suit. He was soon brought back to the day where Ruby and Flaky had first been kidnapped by a follower of the Tiger General, and he and Fliqpy had been gone for days trying to find them. He sighed at the memory as the three exited the hospital and made their way home.

* * *

A month had passed after the children were kidnapped and soon taken home, and life had eventually gone back to normal in Happy Tree Town. After countless sessions, the kidnapped children had their previous minds and were no longer scarred. The children who escaped were soon located to another school, and the others followed soon after. Ruby was also cured of her trance-like state, but Flaky and Flippy still wanted to keep an eye out in case something happened.

Russell leaned back in his chair as he set a cup of tea on the table in front of him, giving a smile to the red-head next to him. He, Flaky, Petunia, and Nutty were all in the courtyard in the conference building, relaxing after a busy day while their children played not far from them. "I'm glad everything's back to normal," Nutty spoke happily before throwing a cookie in his mouth. "Now we don't have to worry so much."

"The only thing I'm worried about is if Lilac is going to put himself in danger." Petunia glanced over at her son playing with the triplets with a concerned gaze.

"I think they'll be fine," Russell responded to her. "Umi's the oldest, and she's smart enough to know right from wrong."

"I don't doubt it," Petunia glanced at her phone after receiving a text message and sighed before placing the phone back in her bag. "Giggles is trying to get into contact with me."

"Honestly I think she's lost contact with just about everyone," Russell responded with a blank look. "I think the only ones who are still willing to hang out with her are Mole and Lumpy. Everyone else tends to avoid her in case she tries to seduce them. Only reason why I hung out with her was because she was a friend, but I think she took it romantically. Hell, she tried to go out with me until I told her I was homosexual."

"I-I remember she tried to go out with Flippy too," Flaky stammered in return. "He ended up flipping out and killing her."

"I don't think it would have worked out anyway since he's obsessed with you," Nutty spoke up with a smirk. "God knows how many times you get his lucky ass in bed." The red-head blushed madly and lowered his gaze, forcing his hands into his lap shyly. "Y-You know how embarrassing that is."

"Flakes, you're talking to two guys who get their asses rammed into almost every day. Well, in Nutty's case, at least three times a day because he has the stamina of an incubus. I can't count Petunia since she and Handy aren't as sexually active."

"I won't take offense to the truth." Petunia muttered while taking another sip of tea.

"And Russell lures in Lumpy like a siren." Nutty commented with a smile. The former pirate shrugged in confirmation, ignoring the reference the candy addict made, and turned back to the red-head. "Point is, there's nothing to be embarrassed about with your sex life when you're with us. You can tell us anything." Flaky kept his head lowered and his blush intact as a response before lifting his gaze and turning towards the others. "W-Well, we haven't done it often b-because he's worried about me being torn again."

"That makes sense, but you were only torn because Fliqpy was so rough with you," Nutty replied with an elbow on the table and a lifted eyebrow. "Honestly, he shouldn't be so worried about it. You guys need to fuck every once in a while."

"Hell, you guys can do it tonight, since Ruby is staying over with us." Russell spoke up with a seductive smirk, causing Flaky to be as red as his hair.

"Just make sure you two are prepared." Petunia warned with caution before standing up and calling out for Lilac. Nutty soon followed with the triplets and the remaining mothers took their daughters into Russell's car. "Hey, you still have that gift I gave you, right?" Flaky nodded with an averted gaze as he pecked Ruby's cheek and helped her inside the car. "If all else fails, use it as a last resort. I know he won't be able to resist you."

* * *

Flaky sighed as he entered the front door to his home, lifting his head to see Flippy heading in his direction. "Perfect timing, I was about to go get you. Did Ruby make it to Russell's alright?" The red-head nodded and stepped forward, slowly sliding his fingers around the other's neck and pulling him in for a soft kiss. Flippy grew confused but responded to the kiss and wrapped arms around the younger. His eyes widened slightly when he felt a tongue brush against his lips, and he parted them to grant the red-head access. Now Flippy was concerned; Flaky never took the first step for he was usually the catcher when it came to their make-outs, but this new behavior surprised the veteran.

The two pulled away moments later, and the greenette saw Flaky's flushed cheeks and half-lidded eyes, causing him to slightly blush. "What's gotten into you? You're never like this." Flaky grabbed onto the other's jacket and nuzzled it in response. "W-Well, we haven't had the chance to do it, you know with the kidnapping and Ruby sleeping in our room. S-So, I was thinking we could take the time to relax tonight. Just the two of us." Thousands of ideas ran through Flippy's head, some with the red-head in the most alluring positions. It was almost enough to turn him on if it wasn't for the worry that resided in the back of his mind. He held the other's shoulders gently and gave him a look. "But what if-"

"I know you won't tear me," Flaky cut him off with a comforting gaze and cupped his cheek. "You would never try to hurt me, but it's okay. You can do whatever you want with me; I know you'll be gentle." After hearing those words, Flippy blushed hard at the various situations in his mind, causing his blood to travel south into his lower regions. Without warning, he hooked his arms around Flaky's legs from behind and hoisted him in the air, causing the younger to squeak in surprise and wrap arms around Flippy's head to make sure he didn't fall. "So," Flaky frowned at the upcoming words his boyfriend was about to say. "How will we make sure you won't get pregnant again? I mean, it's technically guaranteed since you used to be a girl." He pulled one of his hands away to raise the other's shirt, bending down to kiss and nip at his stomach. The red-head sighed and lowered his head, grabbing onto the green locks below him as he felt a tongue dip into his belly button. "W-Well, there's always the option of a condom."

Flippy frowned and pulled away with a slight glare. "Flakes, you know I don't like condoms. They take away the best feeling in the world," He remembered the first time the couple had used a condom, which was a few months after Ruby was born, and Flippy wanted to forget the experience. He felt unsatisfied with the rubber feeling around him, and he ended up hating it. Flaky, however, didn't mind because he felt pleasure either way. "And you know damn well I'm not pulling out. Feels too good to do that." He continued his teasing as he cautiously stepped into the living room and threw Flaky onto the couch with his legs still hooked around Flippy's waist.

Flaky's head tilted back as more of his stomach and chest were exposed into the cool air as Flippy's hands gently stroked his sides. "Th-There are also those pills I got from Sniffles."

"They don't even work half the time."

"They work for Russell." Flippy's lips were planted on his naval as he glanced up at the other. He paused for a moment before sighing. "Alright. I trust you, Flakes." He felt the other wiggle somewhat and lowered his head to see a bulge pressed against the front of Flaky's pants, and looked up to see the red-head exposing more of himself with a lust-filled gaze. He shook his head with a smile. "God, you must really want this."

"Flippy~"

"I know, I know." The veteran grabbed him by the chin and pulled him forward for a kiss so they could continue their intimacy, eventually falling off of the couch and onto the floor.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

 **I do not own Happy Tree Friends. All credit goes to Mondo Media**

 **~EPILOGUE~**

Russell and Lumpy watched their daughter play with the small waves as they sat on the beach. The former pirate leaned on the other's shoulder and lifted his head slightly to gaze at him. Lumpy had an arm wrapped around his shoulder and pecked his forehead gently. "So, Flippy told me something interesting."

"Oh? What's that?" Russell pulled away to give him a look as Lumpy smiled in response. "He's thinking about a surprise for Flaky." Russell shot up at the statement and gasped with wide eyes. Lumpy coughed to cover his laughter as the younger male stood up. "Is it what I think it is? What the fuck took him so long?"

"Well, he was scared that he was gonna hurt Flakes, and that kind of got in the way of asking," The taller of the two lowered his head to think. "And I think he was scared of what Flaky might say."

"That's bullshit. You know Flaky's gonna say yes."

"That's what I told him," Lumpy replied while getting to his feet. "But he was still doubting." Russell crossed his arms and slightly puffed his cheeks, quietly calling the veteran a dumbass. He heard Umi call out to him and he turned to see her pointing to something in front of her. Russell rolled up his pants and sped towards her, lightly splashing some of the waves, and glanced down to see her pointing to a sea urchin resting near her feet. "Sweetie, don't touch that," He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her out of the water, trying to find a safe place to put her down. "They can hurt you and I don't want that." He set her down near his right and kissed her forehead. "Mama, why do some fish try to hurt people?"

"That's just who they are," Russell responded softly, looking down to see a small fish swimming near his feet. "Some fish don't like people, and they try to kill them."

"What kind of fish do that, Mama?"

"There are sharks, squids, sometimes octopuses, and some other fish you'll learn about when you're older." Umi started to kick at the water, and she laughed when the fish near her started to swim in different directions. Russell smiled and heard someone else enter the water, and turned around to see Lumpy wrap arms around him with a peck on the lips. Umi nuzzled her father's leg with a grin before looking out towards the horizon. The two parents each took one of her hands in his and followed her gaze. "Hey," Russell turned to his husband and was greeted with a kiss and a nuzzle. "I love you."

"I love you too." Russell pecked his cheek and picked up Umi in his arms before the three of them grabbed their things and made their way home.

* * *

Shifty entered the house to hear the TV across the hall, and entered the living room to see the twins wrapped in their coloring books while a marathon of Adventure Time showed on the TV. The two looked up and smiled at their father, who glanced around to see if his brother was around. "Where's your papa?"

"Papa went to take a nap." Zack piped up before returning to the page he was coloring on. Shifty nodded and ruffled both of their heads before going upstairs to his bedroom. He quietly opened the door to see his twin stretched out on the bed and faced towards the window. Shifty slowly crawled on the bed and wrapped an arm around his torso, his hand sneaking under his shirt to stroke his torso. He felt a scar on Lifty's stomach, which reminded him of the nightmare that the two went through when Zack and Jack were born: Lifty was shouting that there was something wrong, and no matter how hard he tried, the twins weren't moving at all despite his constant pushing. In the end, the doctors had done an emergency c-section in order to keep all three of them alive.

Lifty released a slight moan and shifted somewhat in his older half's arms, which caused Shifty's hand to be closer to his crotch. He lifted an eyebrow before smirking and sneaking a few fingers under the waistband of his pants. They began to move closer towards the younger's member until a voice spoke up. "Can't you go one second without trying to give me a handjob?"

"What can I say? I can't resist you." Lifty rolled over to face his twin with a slight glare as the older grinned. He closed his eyes and Lifty noticed a hand gently stroking the scar, and placed his hand over his twin's. "Hey, it's okay. I'm fine." He pecked his lips with a sweet kiss and pulled him close. Shifty nuzzled his hair with half-lidded eyes as they held each other for as long as they could. "Papa? Daddy?" Shifty turned around to see Jack standing in the doorway, and he sat up in response. "What's wrong, bud?"

"U-Um there's a spider under the couch." Shifty swung his legs off of the bed and pecked his twin's cheek before heading for the hall. "I'll be back soon." Lifty nodded and closed his eyes as the two left the room and slowly succumbed to sleep once again.

* * *

The triplets were crouched near the oven as they watched the cookies inside slowly bake while Nutty was cleaning off the kitchen counter. He glanced at them with a warm smile. "You know, you don't have to stay there. Go in the other room and watch TV."

"But then we won't get any cookies, Mommy." Candy pouted but kept her eyes on the oven.

"I'll call you when they're ready, I promise." The triplets stayed in their position for another moment before sitting up and heading for the living room. Nutty sighed and relaxed his shoulders as he did one final wipe down before stepping away. He backed into someone's chest and turned around to see Sniffles wrapping arms around him with a peck to his jaw. "This is the fourth time you've been baking something. What's all of this for?"

"I'll tell you later," Nutty replied while cupping his cheek with a smile before pulling away. "If I wasn't baking this for someone else, then I'd be eating both of those cakes with out any trouble." Sniffles grimaced at the statement and held the other's hips gently. "I hate how you can do that. Remember what happened the last time you were given more candy than you could handle?" The candy addict nuzzled him in response as the memory came back to him: he paid a large amount of money to the twins in exchange for a truckload of sweets. In the end, Nutty had choked on the candy and almost died from eating it all.

Nutty leaned forward and slowly pressed their lips together, causing Sniffles to step forward and trap Nutty between him and the counter. The greenette grabbed onto the surface behind him with a slight moan as Sniffles forced his lips apart with his tongue. The inventor's fingers slipped underneath his pants and stroked his sides gently as their tongues danced aggressively. Sniffles pulled his mouth away to see a panting, flushed mess in front of him, and the sight was enough to turn him on.

"Mommy and Daddy are being gross again." The two turned to see Sammy peeking from the doorway with a confused gaze. The couple pulled away slightly, and Nutty looked at the oven to see that the cookies were close to being burned, and he pulled away from Sniffles to pull them out and place them on the counter. "Sammy, tell your siblings that the cookies are ready." The toddler nodded and left the room as Nutty slid the cookies onto a plate. He turned over to Sniffles, who looked a bit personally offended that they were interrupted. Nutty winked at him as the triplets ran into the room, and he handed each of them a cookie. "That's all you'll get. This is for a very special day and I want to make sure there are still enough cookies left."

"Okay."

"Oh, and Daddy and I have some stuff to take care of in the lab. You know you're not allowed in there."

"We know, Mama." Danny replied while taking another bite out of his cookie before he followed his siblings back into the living room to watch cartoons. Nutty strode over to the bluenette and grabbed the bulge in his pants, causing him to almost double over as he grabbed the other's shoulders. "Go on. You know you want to." Sniffles hauled the other over his shoulder and quickly stormed into the lab, slamming and locking the door behind him so they wouldn't be interrupted.

* * *

Lilac peered out of the living room window to stare at the patches of flowers in their backyard, struggling to peek his head above the window ledge to get a better look. Handy noticed this and stood from his usual spot on the couch to grab the toddler by the waist and take him outside, causing Lilac's eyes to widen with happiness. "Papa look, they look so pretty!"

"Yeah." Handy set him down so he could see what he planted, and he couldn't help but chuckle at his son's excitement. Lilac called him from across the yard, and the orange-haired male stepped over to see him pointing at a particular flower that caught his eye. "Papa, what's this one called?"

Handy smiled in response and held him close. "They're called lilacs. It's where we got your name from."

"Does that mean I'm pretty too?" The man nodded and kissed his temple gently and stood with the toddler in his arms. "Come on. Mama is supposed to be making dinner. Be a good boy and she'll make grilled cheese."

"Really!?" Lilac's eyes lit up in response with a grin, and he struggled to run back inside the house. Handy set him down and he ran back inside to eat. The older smiled and turned back towards the garden that he and Petunia worked so hard to create. Petunia had first brought it up when she was pregnant with Lilac, and she felt the backyard was a large empty space behind the house; it took them the rest of the pregnancy to complete it. Handy couldn't help but think back to when he returned home and saw Petunia collapsed near the lilacs, and was seconds away from giving birth. Half an hour later, he was holding a screaming newborn, and when he asked Petunia what his name should be, she only said the name of the first flower she saw. Later, he had called Sniffles so he would make sure that everything was alright and he had nothing to worry about.

Handy glanced over to see a small patch of blue petunias resting in the corner of the garden, bending down to gently take one in his hand and not noticing his lover step outside the house and strode over to him. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just thinking." Petunia lowered her eyes and nuzzled him gently before stepping away to pick some other flowers. He turned around with a lifted eyebrow and stood up. "What's that for?"

"I'll tell you later," Petunia replied with a smile. "For now, it's a surprise." Handy shrugged before stepping over to kiss her cheek and walking back inside the house. The bluenette smiled with closed eyes as she continued to pick another handful of flowers and glanced at the sky. "The sun is going down. I hope it happens." She soon made her way back inside the house with an averted gaze from the garden.

* * *

The moon was high in the sky as Flippy and Flaky made their way through the park with Flaky snuggling up to his arm with a smile. The two had just left a restaurant for their anniversary dinner, and they were currently on their way home. Flippy glanced down at the red-head nuzzling him and couldn't help but smile. He lead the younger to sit on a fountain in the middle of the park, holding both of his hands gently. Flaky leaned on his shoulder and kissed his cheek. "I enjoyed today; it was fun."

The veteran kissed his cheek gently and nuzzled the side of his neck. "I'm glad you liked it, but the real fun starts tonight." Flaky slightly blushed and released a quiet sigh as he felt light kisses trail from his neck to his ear before the green-haired male pulled away. "Oh right. You haven't gotten an anniversary present, have you?" Flaky's eyes widened as he pulled away with an apologetic look. "I-I'm sorry. I was so excited about today, I didn't even think about it."

"It's fine. I think my present will make up for it." Flippy smiled and handed the red-head a small package wrapped in peach. Flaky lifted an eyebrow and unwrapped the small box to see a black case, and Flippy watched his expression change from puzzled to shocked as he opened it to see a gold ring that encased a red spinel in the middle. Flaky almost dropped the box as his head shot up to glance at the slight blush that Flippy wore. The veteran brought his hands up and held the box with the other's hands. "Listen Flakes, I've been thinking about this for a long time, but so much shit has happened that kept me from doing this. Even after everything settled down for a bit, something else happens and then I get scared that something might happen to you, and I don't want to lose you. And, I felt that I needed to do this before some other crazy shit happens. So, what do you say, Flakes? Wanna marry me?"

Flaky was speechless for a moment as his gaze traveled from the ring to Flippy's eyes before he closed the box and pulled away, feeling tears begin to sting his eyes. He let out a choked sob, causing Flippy to panic in response. "Oh fuck, I didn't want you to cry."

"You're so stupid," Flaky wiped the tears from his eyes before glancing up at the veteran with a smile. "I've been waiting for you to ask me all this time. Can't believe that's what's been stopping you. If you wanted to marry me before something happened to me, you should have said something sooner."

"So, you're not upset?"

"What does this tell you?" Flaky leaned forward and caught his lips with his own and they both closed their eyes. Flippy cupped one of his cheeks and deepened the kiss before they both pulled away. "I'll take that kiss as a yes, then."

"Yes." The red-head replied in a whisper before pecking his lips again with a nuzzle. Flippy pulled him off of the fountain so they could head home and share the news. "You know, for a minute, I thought you were gonna say no." Flaky stopped in his tracks to give him a stern gaze. "Flippy, I have been in love with you for as long as I can remember. Even when I was pregnant, I wanted the baby because it was yours, and even though Fliqpy raped me, I never blamed you. If I didn't want to marry you, I wouldn't be standing here, now would I?"

Flippy didn't know what to say, only knowing that the red-head was right. He sighed with a smile and pulled him along. "I can't deny that." A giggle was his only response as they exited the park and continued on their way.

In a matter of minutes, the rest of the Tree Friends were informed of the engagement, and the couple got various reactions: Russell immediately demanded that he be the Maid of Honor, Nutty told the two that he already baked a wedding cake(although by the sound of his voice, the two knew that he had just gotten finished with Sniffles), and Petunia had various wedding ideas that she was willing to share. Flaky had said that they'll talk about wedding plans later, and he promised that he'll get them on board.

Everything was peaceful and had returned to normal, and the Tree Friends wanted to make sure it stayed that way. But, this is Happy Tree Town; nothing here is ever peaceful.


End file.
